


Faith of the Heart

by 2ndchancequeen



Series: Soul Mates [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 10:38:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 70,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1937739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2ndchancequeen/pseuds/2ndchancequeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows the now non-canon events in "Smile from the Heart" just after the return of Marian and the Season 3 Finale.  In this sequel, Robin and Regina are heart-sharing soul mates, but Regina has lost her magic.  Marian has been reunited with her first and real True Love.  Wonderland has an inter-realm business agreement with Storybrooke with The White Rabbit providing transportation.  Everything seems to be coming up roses in Storybrooke -- but that's usually when the trouble starts and Regina's past does have a way of catching up with her.</p><p>The key events of the original story are recapped in the first chapter, so it's not necessary to read "Smile From the Heart" but I recommend doing so -- mostly because I'm so darned proud of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When a Wrong Makes a Right

“Regina, dearest, please,” Robin entreated.

“I’m not going to do it.” Regina’s mouth was set in a firm, straight line.

“Regina, darling,” Robin tried again.

“No.” She crossed her arms and turned her back on Robin so that she was facing the fireplace in her living room.

“Regina, my heart, will you just –“ once again, Robin was interrupted.

“Oh, so now you’re going to throw it in my face that half of your heart is in my chest and I’d be dead without it.” Regina’s face fell into a disdainful pout.

Robin walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, bending his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. A risky move when she was this mad, but what he whispered in her ear deflated her anger toward him. “And I’d be dead without you.”

Regina sighed. “Look, just because everything turned out all right does not mean that I owe Emma an apology for being mad at her for deplorable judgment in breaking the laws of time and endangering everyone when she brought Marian back from the past. Let alone all of the other potential ramifications because she saved someone via magic who had previously been saved by magic which put all of us in danger since the price of magic was doubly unpaid. It nearly killed me, then you, and it DID kill Keith, um, the Sheriff of Nottingham.”

“If I or Sir Guy had known he was in Storybrooke, we would have killed him anyway, so The Price did us a favor. Otherwise we’d both be serving long jail sentences right now.” He kissed her shoulder. “And probably without conjugal visits.”

Regina sighed and turned in his arms. “All right, I admit that it’s a good thing that _you’re_ not serving a lengthy prison sentence.   Sir Guy’s ego could probably use some time in the slammer, but he’s Marian’s problem now.”

“And apparently always was!” Robin would still bristle occasionally that Marian had not told him that she had been married before Robin, even if she had believed herself a widow. “And that’s another reason why that even though Emma made a poor judgment call in bringing Marian here, it does seem like it was God’s will.”

Regina muttered something about dumb luck and Robin chuckled. “Think about it Regina – even though we didn’t know that the children we found lost in The Enchanted Forest, Peter and Priscilla, were Marian and Sir Guy’s children, we did meet them before Emma went back in time and wound up bringing Marian back here – at almost exactly the same time as her original husband, Sir Guy, came to Storybrooke looking for her. Peter and Priscilla hadn’t even been born yet. They wouldn’t even have existed if Marian hadn’t turned up in Storybrooke, realized that Sir Guy of Gisbourne was her True Love, and then they, after getting remarried here, were accidentally misplaced for years on their honeymoon, courtesy of The White Rabbit, which was when the children were born.”

Regina scrunched her forehead. “So technically, last year in the Enchanted Forest, we were taking care of two lost toddlers who hadn’t even been born yet, but were Roland’s slightly younger half brother and sister."  Regina sighed again.  "Time travel makes my head hurt.”

Robin kissed her furrowed brow. “And The White Rabbit’s return to Storybrooke, which accidentally resulted in the children getting lost in the Enchanted Forest, created the obstacle in the road that made Nottingham swerve his car, mortally wounding me and killing himself, almost certainly making us alternate Price of magic victims.”

Regina winced at the memory. “And how is _that_ one of the beneficial aspects of Emma’s bad judgment call?”

“Because, my love, you gave up your magic, your heart, and your life to save me. Proof that you loved me with all your heart and soul,” Robin’s voice was very soft. Regina’s eyes welled with tears.

“And you proved you loved me more than your own life by making Gold rip out your own heart, rend it in two, and share it between us. Something that only works for True Love.” Regina rested her head on his chest where she could feel his half beating in time with the half in her own chest.

“And when you poured your soul into me to save me, we truly became the soul mates prophesied by the pixie dust long ago. Who knows if we truly would have been soul mates if you hadn’t done that.”

Regina swallowed hard. “Okay, okay. I’ll speak to Miss Swan and assure her that we are back on normal terms.”

“And?”

“And that everything appears to have turned out all right, except for the part where I don’t have magic anymore. But even that was worthwhile if it meant saving you,” she added grudgingly.

“Thank you, Regina. That will make Henry, as well as Emma’s parents, very happy. Not to mention me.” He rubbed noses with her playfully. “I know it’s going to be hard for you to adjust to a life without magic, and I _know_ Grumpy, er, Leroy is going to miss his magically-refilling beer supply –- that was very nice of you to do that, by the way –- but maybe losing your magic is a beneficial step in leaving the Evil Queen completely behind.”

“Maybe so,” Regina agreed. She stood on tiptoe and captured Robin’s lips softly, lovingly, with her own, sending an electric tingle between both of them. “Maybe this is all the magic I need.”

\-------------

In a much less upscale neighborhood, at the same time as Robin and Regina shared their electric kiss, a bottle of beer popped into Leroy’s mini-fridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who already read "Smile From the Heart" sorry for the recap! I tried to do it in an entertaining manner so that it wouldn't be boring and the conversation between Robin and Regina does have ramifications later in the story. Just a short chapter to kick us off. Will try to post every couple of days. By the way, gold stars for anyone who recognizes (without googling!) the origin of the title "Faith of the Heart."


	2. Family

“I need my magic,” Regina said flatly. She sat back in the chair in her office at City Hall and gripped the armrests firmly.

“Mom – it’s only been two weeks since you lost your powers!” Henry exclaimed smiling. “It’s going to take a little time to adjust to being without it, but pretty soon you won’t miss it.” Her son had dropped by after school to find his mother in a mood.

“I don’t miss it, Henry. It wasn’t something I did every day like drinking coffee,” Regina was a little thrilled and simultaneously sad that she could have a conversation like this with her son. He was getting so mature.

“Do us all a favor, Mom – never stop drinking coffee! A morning without your coffee is the only time I can see hints of the old Evil Queen!”

Regina sent a mock glare at her son. “I’ll have you know that I went days in Neverland without coffee.”

“And now it’s an uninhabited island,” Henry pointed out.

“You, young man,” Regina intoned darkly, one hand raised toward him. “Are very lucky that I _don’t_ have my magic.”

“Is that why you want it back? To contain your witty teenager?”

“Witty? Impertinent is more appropriate,” Regina said through a smile. And then the smile faded and her voice rose. “I want it back so that I don’t have to have a nosy, irritable, miniaturized bodyguard stalking me.” A faint shuffling noise outside her office door indicated that Grumpy had overheard her.

“Mom,” Henry said in faint exasperation. “You know it’s only for a little while – just until we’re sure that there’s no one out there holding a grudge against you who will use your loss of magic to their advantage.”

Regina sighed. “I’m not sure that allowing you to sit in on the adult discussions was entirely the right decision.”

“You think it’s right when I agree with you!” Henry smiled.

They were interrupted by a light knock on the door. Rebecca, Regina’s administrative assistant, poked her head around.

“Mayor Mills, Sheriff Nolan is here for his appointment.”

“Thank you, Rebecca. Please show him in and show my growing-up-too-fast son out.” At the same time, Regina rose and gave Henry a hug. “See you later, Sweetheart.”

“Bye, Mom!” Henry hugged her and then turned to hug his grandfather, who had just entered. “Hi, Gramps! Bye, Gramps!”

After the door closed, Regina returned to her seat and gestured for David to sit as well.

“I’ve never seen her before, is she new?” He settled into the chair directly across from Regina, and, as was his want when in a very good mood, braced with his feet and pushed so that his chair balanced on the back two legs only, allowing him to use his long legs to rock slightly back and forth. Regina ignored him.

“Doesn’t it feel odd to hear Henry call you ‘Gramps’?” Regina asked.

“I am what I am,” David replied. “Besides, it’s better than being Henry’s ‘stepbrother-in-law,’ wouldn’t you say, step great grandmother?”

Regina shuddered. “I thought we agreed that that title would never be uttered!”

“I promise you shall never hear it again. Unless Emma ever has another child.” David grinned impishly.

Regina glared at him. “You know, I really need my magic back. Everyone seems to think they can tease me without fear of retribution.”

“Regina, if it makes you feel better, I’m sure you could find ways to exact retribution without magic and with both hands tied behind your back, if you wanted to. Now, if you went _mute_ , that would be a real problem.”

Regina smiled and hooked her heels firmly into the carpet runner at her feet. Too late David realized the same runner was beneath his chair and that one slight tug would send him tumbling. Regina’s smile wavered not a bit as she yanked her heels backward, causing just enough motion to cause David to go flying backwards onto the soft carpet.

Regina heard a muffled, “You planned that!” before David’s blond head popped up above her desk, still smiling.

“I had a little help from Henry,” she conceded. “But I’ve wanted to do something like that ever since you started coming in here abusing my furniture.”

“Well, I guess there’s only one thing to do in return, then.” He stopped smiling then and looked her squarely in the eye. “I quit.”

Regina’s jaw dropped. “What? Over this?”

David smiled again. “No, not at all. The reason for the meeting in the first place was to tell you I’m resigning as sheriff.”

“But why?” Regina asked. “I thought you liked being sheriff?”

“I do,” David replied. “But I want to dedicate myself to starting up this business that Robin, Sir Guy, and I had to establish a center that teaches skills from our realm. Robin can dedicate himself full time. Sir Guy was also going to work full time on it, but now that he is indefinitely in the Enchanted Forest as he and Marian try to ease their children back into family life, so someone else needs to step up.   I can’t be sheriff and start this training center.” He handed Regina a large envelope.

“In there are my resignation letter with two weeks of notice and the business permit for the center. I’d really like your acceptance on the first and signature on the second. Once that’s done, Robin and I can begin working in earnest.”

Regina accepted the envelope and looked down at it with mixed feelings. “So you’re depriving me of both my sheriff and my, uh, umm,” Regina searched for a label that wouldn’t make her want to run for the hills or feel juvenile.

“Having some trouble there? True Love? Soul Mate? Lover? Boyfriend? Roomie?” David supplied helpfully.

“Significant Other,” Regina said firmly.

“So he’s Sir Robert of Nottingham, faithful knight of King Richard, defender of the poor, Prince of Thieves, and Significant Other.”

“Why do I put up with you?” Regina demanded.

“Probably because, aside from Henry and possibly Snow, I’m your favorite family member.”

“True, but just remember you’re an incredibly distant second.” She sighed. “All right, I accept your resignation. I assume this means that Miss Swan will move up from the deputy position?”

David nodded. “With your consent, yes.”

Regina assented with a quick up-down move of her head. “I truly do hope the center works out. Robin is quite excited about it.”

David agreed. “A lot of people are. This world is wonderful in so many ways, but some of the things from back home are pretty wonderful, too. We just want to find a way to bring the best of both together. Sort of like Will Scarlet trying to bring electricity and running water to Wonderland. How is that going, by the way?”

“Exceptionally well. Mr. Scarlet has more organizational talent than I would have expected from a former miscreant. The Hubbard House is almost ready to receive its first guests from Wonderland for vocational training. The training facility itself will be ready about the same time next week. And, most importantly, we now have fairly regular communication between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest thanks to the White Rabbit,” Regina summarized.

“Actually, thanks to you and the deal you struck with King Will to provide the facilities free of rent in exchange for the Rabbit’s journeys to the Enchanted Forest. So far he’s managed to reunite two families in just a week,” David added.

“Three,” Regina corrected. “If you count returning Marian and Sir Guy to their children. Of course, the Rabbit did lose them in the first place.”

“It’s still amazing to me that the two children we cared for in the Enchanted Forest during the forgotten year were actually Marian and Sir Guy’s toddlers. Who hadn’t even been born yet to a mother who died in another timeline!” David exclaimed.

“Yes, well, there’s a reason why time travel isn’t easy. It really makes things confusing and complicated. At least everything turned out all right,” Regina said absently as she read over the business license before signing.

“Yes, it DID turn out all right, didn’t it?” David asked meaningfully. Regina glanced up quickly and glared.

“I apologized to Miss Swan already – no need to make me repeat it,” she snapped.

“Apologized? You said, and I quote, ‘Miss Swan, as in the end everyone seems to have gotten what they wanted -- or deserved in the case of the Sheriff of Nottingham -- I choose to overlook your unfortunate action that started the chain of events. In short, you got lucky, Miss Swan. This time.’” David did an amazingly good imitation of Regina’s clipped tones.

“Well, she did. And we still don’t know if there’s another shoe waiting to drop. It’s only been three weeks!”

“Regina!” David said, softly and slightly admonishingly. But it wasn’t David’s voice Regina heard. It was Snow’s, saying to her on the phone earlier that day to stop waiting for something bad to happen and to enjoy the happiness she’d been given.

Another light knock sounded at the door and Rebecca peeped around once more. Before she had had a chance to say anything, however, a small bundle of energy squeezed past her legs and hurled itself toward Regina, not stopping until it had come to rest on her lap, revealing itself to be a small boy.

“’Gina, Gina! Guess what Daddy and I did today?” Roland looked up at her eagerly, his huge brown eyes filled with glee.

“What, darling?” she asked, although she knew full well what Roland and Robin had been up to.

“We went sailing, on a real boat!”

“That sounds amazing! You must tell me all about it on the way home,” she smiled. She looked over toward David and gestured to the paper on her desk. “All signed. See you at the Granny’s tonight?”

David reached over and picked up the business license. “We’d never miss family dinner night.”

Leroy stepped in through the door. “Madam Mayor – I have relinquished my bodyguard duties for the night to your, uh, your, uh, Other. Goodnight.” He scurried away.

Regina glared in turns between Robin and David. “Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t mind a bodyguard so much if he refrained from listening to my conversations!”


	3. Planning

The walk to Regina’s house from City Hall wasn’t far and the summer air was cool enough still to make it pleasant for the three of them to stroll back. Robin had not yet learned to drive so they tended to walk much more than Regina was accustomed to in the past.

Regina had offered to teach him but Robin instinctively knew that two strong-willed, bull-headed people weren’t the best combination for teaching the handling of heavy machinery – even if they were soul mates. Occasionally he wished he’d received the gift of instant knowledge of all the things in this different realm the way the inhabitants of Storybrooke had in the first curse. But he liked learning and finding his own way to do things. He looked down to his son, linked by their hands and then over to Regina, who had Roland’s other son. He was learning through them every day. How to adjust to this world. How to be part of a new family.

For now, Marian and her husband were busy in the Enchanted Forest with their two children, becoming reacquainted with one another after a year apart.  Soon, Marian would want to start spending time with Roland, whether in Storybrooke or there, he did not know. It was right that he should, and Roland should start feeling a part of that family, too, but it was going to be hard for Robin. He hadn’t spent more than a day away from Roland since he was born.

He would have to learn from Regina how to be apart from Roland, the way she had found to cope with sharing Henry with Emma. He realized Regina was staring at him and he turned to meet her eyes. The look was full of sympathy and understanding. When they argued, she always seemed to misunderstand him, but in quiet moments like this, it was as if she could read his mind. Robin felt a tug on his hand and a similar one brought Regina to a halt.

“You’re not listening,” Roland said, “this is important!”

Robin and Regina looked down at him intently.

“We’re sorry, lad. We’re listening now, what is it?”

“In school last week Teacher told us to never be afraid of telling our parents and teachers anything,” Roland paused a moment. Robin and Regina exchanged a wide-eyed glance. They’d been told the teachers in the school would talk to the children about how important it was to share when something odd happened around them with adults or anyone else. Parents were supposed to have similar discussions at home, too, which Regina and Robin had done with both Roland and Henry.

In the Storybrooke and its personalities Regina had originally created, there would never have been any need for such a discussion with the children, but the second curse was different and more and different people had come from the Enchanted Forest with their old personalities intact. Petty crime had risen and domestic abuse was no longer unthinkable.  Keeping children safe meant educating them.

Regina looked down at Roland. “That’s right, Roland, you should always tell us anything – even if you’re not sure it’s important or even if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Tears welled up in Roland’s eyes and both Regina and Robin dropped to his level immediately, still holding his hands and trying to keep the fear in their hearts from reaching their eyes.

“I know I wasn’t supposed to see, Mommy tried to keep me away,” tears were rolling down his cheeks in earnest now. Robin and Regina linked their free hands together and gripped hard. This was either going to be something terrible or something awkward but funny. They prayed for awkward. “You were real bad hurt, Daddy, and then ‘Gina made you better, but then she didn’t move and everyone started crying. I saw, I saw, Mr. Gold take out your heart, Daddy, and break it in two. And then he shared it with you and ‘Gina and you were okay.” He looked between the two adults. “It was the strangest thing ever and I didn’t tell you, but I was supposed to and you were both so bad hurt.” Regina and Robin breathed a joint sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, boy, we were there so we know what happened already and we’re both perfectly fine,” Robin smiled and squeezed his son’s hand.

Roland’s tears abated and he gave a watery smile. “Good, cuz, I love you and ‘Gina and Henry more than all the ice cream in the world and even more than my stuffed flying monkey. And I wanna grow up big and strong like Daddy and smart and powerful like ‘Gina and then I’ll protect you and you’ll never get hurt ever.”

Regina felt tears gathering in her own eyes then as she and Robin leaned forward at the same time to give Roland a kiss on either side of his head, both their hearts bursting with love and pride for the little boy. As their lips touched his head, a little tingle of something like electricity flowed through them and Roland gave a little giggle. “That tickles!”

Robin and Regina shared a stare and a realization. They’d felt that tingle when they kissed and in other intimate moments, but feeling it when kissing Roland? Was it something to do with true love’s kiss? A side effect of a shared heart? Both?

With the natural ease of a toddler, the serious moment had passed for Roland and he was prattling on about a squirrel he had watched in the park earlier that day. The adults shared a smile and stood up, resuming the walk home.

Regina whispered above Roland’s head to Robin, “So, big and strong Sir Robin, just remember who the smart one is,” and she smiled wider.

“I shan’t, milady, because you will always be there to remind me.”

\---------

It was Charming family dinner night at Granny’s and with recent additions to that family, albeit informally, they had had to push another table up against their usual booth. Where once there had just been David, Mary Margaret, Regina, Emma and Henry, now were added baby Neal, Robin, Roland and Hook. Mary Margaret and Emma were giggling away at David’s retelling of Regina’s chair trick that day.

Hook pointed his eponymous appendage at Regina while raising his glass of Granny’s beer in the other. “You’ve still got a bit of evil in you, Madam Mayor.”

“A fact you’d best not forget.” Regina was not amused. She was still uncomfortable around Killian Jones. He had been the one to trick her into being captured and then tortured only a little more than a year ago.

“But it’s only evil with a little ‘e’, now, not a capital letter,” Mary Margaret threw in, giving Regina’s hand a quick squeeze of understanding. Regina gave an almost imperceptible squeeze back and then slid her hand away. Public displays of affection, except with Robin and her children (yes, she already thought of Roland as hers), still made her uncomfortable. She turned her gaze out the window while idly listening to the chatter around the table. She saw Gold walking toward his shop, alone on the far sidewalk. Something just didn’t feel right about him. She wished, not for the first time, that she had her magic. It would have helped her sort out this feeling. She hadn’t been able to shake it since Zelena’s death, but all of the excitement and drama of Marian’s return, Sir Guy’s arrival, and the events thereafter had distracted her from thinking about it. David repeating her name brought her attention back to the table.

“Um, sorry, what were you saying?” She glanced toward him.

“I was asking about your new assistant. I don’t remember seeing her around town before,” he said, as he waved to Ruby for a refill of the beers the men and Emma were drinking.

“Rebecca?” Robin asked. “You don’t recognize her? She was a waitress here at Granny’s and before that at the Rabbit Hole.”

Regina covered a smile. Robin hadn’t recognized her, either – he’d only just asked Regina the same questions as David a few days ago.

“Oh, I wonder why I didn’t realize that?”

Mary Margaret patted his arm. “It’s quite all right if you don’t stare at women long enough to recognize them elsewhere around town.”

“Mom! Did you just give Dad permission to be a jerk?” Emma asked laughing.

“Your father doesn’t need my permission for anything,” Mary Margaret said innocently.

“I think I just got called a jerk by both my wife and my daughter,” David said.

“You’re not a jerk! You’re a prince and a knight!” Roland’s little voice piped up.

“Thank you, Roland. We knights have to stick together in company like this,” David said, reaching out a hand to ruffle Roland’s curls.

“And we defend the poor and protect our true loves!” Roland cried out and he held up his dinner knife the way he’s seen his father, David, and Sir Guy hold out there swords to one another at the beginning and end of their training sessions. Henry immediately grabbed his own dinner knife and held it out, point touching Roland’s knifepoint. The three adult men chuckled and joined in. “To defend and protect!” They cried out, to Roland and Henry’s delight.

The ladies rolled their eyes and laughed. Regina stood up from the table. “Please excuse me fair knights and valiant ladies. This damsel in distress requires the ladies room.”

Emma, sitting beside her mumbled out of the corner of her mouth, “Yeah, the testosterone levels in here are enough to make anybody’s stomach turn.” Regina nearly laughed outright, but she was still pretending to be somewhat upset with Emma so she squashed it and merely produced an amused smile.

Ruby sailed up with a round of beers and a fresh glass of water for Mary Margaret, the nursing mother. “Does Regina want anything? She’s barely touched her juice. Anything for the boys?” After a quick consult, Robin answered for the boys and his beloved. “Nothing more for the boys. A glass of water, no ice for Regina. Lovely beer, by the way, Ruby. Is it a local brew?”

“Yeah, Leroy has gotten into home brewing in a big way. Makes way more of it than he and his brothers can drink so Granny’s selling it for him. Everybody loves it.”

Once Ruby was away from the table, Mary Margaret immediately turned to Robin.

“So, when are you going to propose?”

Robin merely opened and closed his mouth. Even David shifted uncomfortably.

“This is kind of awkward to say in front of you, Snow, but Regina’s experience with marriage was not… good. She may be quite resistant,” David said gently.

Mary Margaret sighed. “Regina’s never talked to me about it, but I know that my loving father was…” she paused, choosing her words carefully within the earshot of the children, “a different person with Regina. I don’t know, maybe at some point he realized that her mother was the same woman he had rejected many years before or suspected that her mother had engineered the match. That doesn’t mean, though, that Robin shouldn’t propose.”

“Your Highness, with all due respect, I have not discussed marriage with Regina so I most certainly will not discuss it with you. In any case, this is not something to rush,” Robin said primly.

“But Robin, you already asked my permi-…,” Henry’s voice trailed away at Robin’s warning look. “Oh. Sorry.”

Mary Margaret clapped with glee.

David grinned. “So how are you going to do it? You’ll need a strategy.”

“And a ring!” Mary Margaret chipped in. Robin looked confused.

“It’s customary in this realm to have a ring for the lady in question when you propose,” Emma explained.

Robin pursed his lips. “Aah. Hmm. That changes the plan a bit.”

“SSHH! She’s coming back!” Roland said in a really loud whisper.

Regina settled herself back into her seat. “So I take it you were talking about me while I was gone?”

“Only good things, Mom!” Henry said, but she looked at him suspiciously anyway.

The conversation shifted smoothly to a lively discussion of plans for the new training center for knightly skills. Choosing a name was proving difficult. Leroy wandered over from the counter to join the discussion.

“Leroy! Mate! Excellent brew! Maybe you should join the training center as brewmaster,” Hook jested. Leroy squirmed a little uncomfortably.

“Just a hobby,” he replied. “But what’s this about needing a name for the center? How about Grumpy’s Gladiatorial Academy?”

David shook his head. “For the last time, we’re not naming the place after you! And no, Hook, we’re not naming it Captain Swan’s School of Swashbuckling,” he said, knocking down a prior suggestion.

Emma tapped the table lightly. “Let’s approach this logically. The owners are Sir Robin, Sir Guy and Prince James and their aim is to teach the skills of knights and woodsmen of the Enchanted Forest and neighboring kingdoms of that realm. The name needs to reflect that.”

Everyone fell silent for a long time. Even Roland was adorably resting his chin on his hands, scrunching his eyes, and thinking hard.

Emma sighed. “Okay. Logic isn’t working. Let’s try more beer. Ruby!”


	4. Discoveries

The Enchanted Forest (Kingdom of Corona)

The sound of giggling children greeted the King and Queen of Corona as they entered the gardens of their castle’s interior courtyard. Two small whirls of energy came flying through the bushes – one crashing into the King’s solid calf, the other tripping over its own feet to avoid the first and instead landing on the Queen’s skirts. The royal couple laughed in delight. Sir Guy and Marian rushed over to recover their children. “Oh, Your Highnesses, I’m so sorry!” Marian cried.

“Nothing to apologize for, my dear,” the Queen said laughing as she scooped up little Priscilla and hugged her close.

“The children are delightful,” the King echoed, as he picked Peter up as well. He leaned his head against the boy’s and whispered to him. “Check my pocket!” It was obvious Peter had played this game before because he immediately knew to reach into a nearly invisible slit in the lining of the King’s robe just at chest height. One would think a King would have secret documents, jewels, or a defensive weapon hidden in such a place, but Peter’s hand came out full of candies.

“T'ank you!” Peter cried, and placing one tiny, grubby hand on the King’s left cheek, he planted a wet ‘smack’ on the right.

“You’re welcome, my boy! Now be sure to share with your sister,” he said as he gently set the child back on his feet. The Queen returned Priscilla to the ground as well.  The children linked hands and ran off to enjoy their sweets.

“Your Majesties, you are too kind to our little ones,” Sir Guy said smiling. “And too kind to allow us to remain so long in your hospitality.”

“Talk of hospitality is appropriate to strangers and distant friends, not family, which is how my wife and I consider you and yours, Sir Guy,” the King replied sincerely. He held his arm out to his wife and invited the Gisbourne’s to sit with them in the garden.

As they sat down, the Queen began to speak. “Please never feel that you and the children are ever a burden. We have loved taking care of them these weeks since Queen Regina and the Prince and Princess Charming sent them here for safekeeping. We have been so blessed to have them with us. We had thought that we could never be happier than the day so many months ago when our own daughter Rapunzel was returned to us. But each day with the children, and then the wonder of your arrival and reunion with them, well, our joy knows no bounds.”

Marian gave the Queen a beatific smile. “We are very happy here as well. There is nothing for us in Sherwood Forest since Prince John has tightened his grip there. The land in which Guy and I were accidentally marooned for several years was beautiful and had many lovely people. I will always remember it as the place Guy and I began our life together and where our children were born, but I could not imagine living my whole life there. And Storybrooke, well, while I yearn more each day to see my oldest son, and there are many enticing things there, this feels like home.”

The King beamed. “We are so glad you feel that way. My wife and I so very much want your family to settle with us permanently. Crown Princess Rapunzel is in complete agreement. Your family in Storybrooke is welcome to visit as often and as long as they like.”

Sir Guy smiled broadly. “Thank you, Your Majesty. We would like that very much. I must caution you, however, that the size of our family is quite deceptive. It may at first seem to be only one small boy, but I’m sure that boy will not visit without his father, his father’s True Love, her adopted son, his real mother, his grandparents –“

“Stop, stop!” The King raised a hand, laughing. “We’re well aware of Roland’s connection to Queen Regina and her extended family. She offered us the kindest welcome to her home after her stepson rescued our beloved daughter. It would be an honor to return that kindness. And frankly, we have the room!” The King raised his hands above his head and the others followed his gaze up and up to the parapets towering high above them.

 

Storybrooke

Regina just couldn’t shake the feeling she’d had recently about Gold. The papers on her desk blurred in front of her as she tried to focus internally and give a specific name to the unease. She shook her head to clear it and decided to take a walk to regain her focus. She moved quickly from her desk to the office door, stopping only to grab a light jacket. In the anteroom, she told her administrative assistant that she was going out for a short walk, then turned to head out.

Leroy blocked her way.

“Madam Mayor, as your protective detail, you’re not going anywhere without me.”

“Doesn’t ‘detail’ imply more than just one person?” She asked sarcastically.

“Fine. Bodyguard.”

“Aren’t you a little short for a bodyguard?”

“Take those five inch heels off, sister, and we’ll see who calls who short!”

Regina’s jaw almost dropped at the audacity, but an ironic smirk won out. He did have a point.

“All right. You can come. Just don’t talk.”

Leroy pulled two fingers across his mouth as if sealing a zipper and followed her out the door.

\-------

Regina raised her jacket collar to cover her ears, hoping it would help her ignore the incessant chatter that had spewed from Leroy since they left her office on what had become a rather aimless walk. She was about to turn and yell at him to shut up, when he actually asked her a question. “So, Rebecca, your new administrative assistant is great, but what happened to the old one?”

Of all the questions Regina had gotten, no one had asked that. She assumed everyone thought her last admin assistant had quit or Regina had fired her in a fit of rage. “I believe Miss Swan, or Sheriff Nolan or I killed her.” Regina enjoyed Leroy’s look of shock. She relented a bit. “It was the day at the docks that the three of us killed several flying monkeys in order to protect Henry. Zelena must… have… turned…” Regina’s voice faded away as the mention of Zelena brought her troubled thoughts about Gold back to the forefront. She instantly changed direction toward the Sheriff’s Office, walking briskly.

“Hey!” Leroy yelled, and ran to keep up.

At the outer entrance to the building that housed the Sheriff’s Office, Regina and Leroy bumped into David and Robin as they walked out. After a very brief hello, Regina walked past them to continue on upstairs. Robin and David looked at one another in surprise. Leroy rushed after the mayor, whispering quickly to the two men as he passed, “Come by my place at 2 p.m. My brothers will watch the Queen.”

Robin and David exchanged another look and shrugged to one another before continuing on their way.

Inside the office, Regina stood with her hands on her hips, staring at the place where her half-sister had died. Soon-to-be Sheriff Swan stood up from her desk and joined Regina. “What’s going on?” Regina was perfectly still a few moments more, then turned to Emma.

“Miss Swan, the camera that looks at these cells, is it the only one in the building?”

Emma shook her head. “No. There’s one each on the front and back entrances, and another above the stairwell. There was one in the elevator, but it stopped working a few weeks ago.”

“Do you have recordings for those devices from the day my sister died?” she asked in a clipped voice.

“Maybe. I’ll have to look.”

“Please do.” Regina turned to Leroy who had just rushed into the room. “Leroy, Miss Swan and I need to discuss some private matters. Please wait for me downstairs in the lobby. And I MEAN downstairs in the lobby. No hovering outside the door listening.”

Hearing the tone of her voice, Leroy thought it wisest to just nod and leave. And go all the way down to the lobby. The lady may not have her old magical abilities, but she was still no one to mess with.

Emma had already begun rifling through a large cabinet in the corner. She waited until Leroy was out of earshot before speaking.  “What’s going on, Regina? What do you suspect?”

Regina shook her head and walked over to help look through the stacks. “I don’t know exactly. It’s just a feeling right now.”

“Well, here’s the front entrance tape and the stairwell. The back entrance tape isn’t here, though. It may already have been re-used,” Emma continued to sort through the cabinet. “And here’s the elevator. Lucky. This is the last tape before the camera died in there.”   Emma inwardly winced at her choice of words. Fortunately, if Regina noticed, she did not show any outward sign.

“Let’s play them,” Regina said.

Emma took the tapes to the same machine where David had re-played the tape of Zelena’s suicide. She loaded one into the old-fashioned machine.

“This is the front entrance camera.” She fast-forwarded until the day of Zelena’s death. A variety of people came and went including Regina. Finally, all the people who had entered the building left and no one else was seen to enter the whole evening. “The back door is always locked up tight at night. Someone would have to have a key, or magic to get in. Here’s the stairwell tape,” Emma said. They fast forwarded again, but the stairwell tape was equally devoid of evidence of any visitors that evening. “And here’s the elevator tape.” They watched in silence for a moment. “There’s the last of the day’s visitors leaving. Everyone accounted for. Looks like nothing’s here, either,” Emma said.

“No! Look!” Emma froze the tape at Regina’s shout. There was Mr. Gold, casting a furtive glance all around as he entered the elevator on the ground floor. They watched as got off at the top floor, looked around outside the elevator, then apparently walked toward the Sheriff’s office. A few minutes later he returned to the elevator with a grim smile on his face.

“Oh my God!” Emma cried. “He never told us he was here. He wouldn’t have come without going to Zelena’s cell, but he doesn’t show up on the other tape. How can that be?”

Regina was very pale. “He didn’t know there were cameras. He magically altered the one in which he killed Zelena just before we were to play the moment he came in. He was here with us when we were watching. He altered it at that very moment and I was so focused on finding out where Zelena was that I didn’t even notice magic being performed in my presence. Stupid! Stupid!” Regina slammed her fist over and over again into her open palm.

“Regina, this is bad, very bad,” Emma swallowed hard.

“Yes,” she agreed, staring straight ahead. “This means that Belle isn’t controlling him with the dagger. She either gave it to him or he tricked her in some way. This means my sister did not commit suicide. She was murdered in cold blood, helpless without her magic. This means that every single blood member of my family had the same man as the root cause of their deaths.” She paused and turned to look Emma straight in the eye.

“The Dark One is back and there’s not enough magical power in this town to stop him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Queue sinister music at the end of the scene.


	5. Friends and Enemies

The Enchanted Forest (Just outside the Kingdom of Corona)

A small group of men came to a halt at the top of a hill amid dense forest. One dismounted and hurried into the underbrush to find a vantage point from which to survey the road ahead. The others dismounted a little more slowly. The group numbered no more than five in all. They were tired -- hair and faces scruffy -- and their clothes wore the dust and dirt of untold days of travel. Though bedraggled, the group was not bowed. The weariness showed in the eyes but not in the stance. The tallest among them took a water bottle from his horse’s saddle and passed it first to the oldest man.

The dirt on the men almost hid their youth but most were unable to grow more than a spotty beard. None but the oldest man could have been much more than a teenager. The oldest and clearly the leader could easily have also been their grandfather. A rustling in the woods caused all of them to put a hand to his sword. No need – it was their fifth member returning.

“Sire, the road ahead is clear and I can see the King of Corona’s castle – we should reach it before nightfall,” he reported in a voice that still broke a little with his youth.

“Excellent news, Cedric. It has been too long since we have had the chance to rest. The King’s hospitality is renowned throughout the forests – with God’s grace we will find a warm welcome as well as the man we seek. Partake of some water now, my friend, and then we will begin the last of our journey,” the gentleman said, his lips obscured by a too-thick mustache and tangled beard.

 

Storybrooke

“Regina,” Emma said tentatively, “what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to tell the Charming’s and Robin, but we need to think this through very carefully. I don’t think anyone’s in danger unless Gold suspects we know, so the fewer people who are aware, the better,” she said.

“Which means no bringing Henry in on this one,” Emma stated rather than asked.

Regina nodded her head. “I don’t want to keep things from him, but he’s not the best at hiding his emotions and frankly, I don’t want him to develop those skills while he’s still so young. Fortunately, Gold isn’t much of a socializer. He only comes out when Belle drags him out. The rest of us shouldn’t have too many moments when we have to pretend.”

Emma let out a long breath. “You know, everything seemed to be going so well. It looked like we were going to have a bit of a break.”

Regina smiled grimly. “No such thing as a quiet time in Storybrooke, at least not since you arrived in town.” She paused a moment. “I have one piece of advice, Miss Swan, one I intend to follow myself. Don’t let this news stop you from pursuing your own happiness and being with the ones you love. There will always be a villain of some kind to get in the way – don’t let them.”

Emma’s jaw literally dropped.

“Not very attractive, Miss Swan.” Emma’s mouth closed. Regina gave a slight smile. “I don’t know if I’ve been hanging around your mother too much or if Robin’s heart in my chest is influencing me, but I do believe what I said. Just don’t expect you’ll ever hear me repeat it. Now, would you mind terribly seeing me home? I need some time to think without Leroy standing guard.”

“Shouldn’t someone stay there with you until Robin gets home?” Emma blushed a bit. Robin and Regina hadn’t announced that he and Roland had moved in with Regina, but everyone knew. Regina turned a little pink, too, and smiled.

“I think if you would be kind enough to put a protection spell on the house that everything will be all right.”

 

The Enchanted Forest (Kingdom of Corona)

Marian and Guy settled their young ones into bed and then traversed several long staircases to the dining hall for a late supper with the King and Queen. Rapunzel was away for a few days visiting the villages of the kingdom and becoming reacquainted with the people of Corona, so it was just to be the four of them. As Sir Guy swung open the heavy door to the hall, a footman raced forward.

“Sir Guy, Lady Marian, the King requests your presence in the Grand Hall. Travelers have arrived from a distant land and they have requested to see you, Sir Guy.”

Guy and Marian exchanged a curious look. Strangers from a distant land? Could they be from Storybrooke? They followed the footman as he led them to the front of the castle and the Grand Hall where the King and Queen received guests.

They entered through the large ceremonial entrance, the footman pronouncing their arrival with a loud, “Sir Guy and Lady Marian of Gisbourne!”

In the distance, at the end of a very long carpet, the group of five scraggly strangers, save one, were all bent on one knee before the King and Queen. One, the old man, stood straight and tall before the dual thrones. At the sound of Guy and Marian’s names, the remaining four stood and all turned to face the great doors where the couple entered.

Sir Guy, with Lady Marian on his arm, set a steady but respectful pace for their long walk to the thrones. These men were not from Storybrooke and he was unsure why he had been summoned. He did not wish to make his kind host wait, but he needed time to think and assess as they walked.

As they drew closer, something about the elder man’s bearing, his clothes (albeit torn and worn) and most of all, his gaze, struck Sir Guy. It took only a step or more closer before he recognized the man. Sir Guy gasped, and returning Marian’s hand to her side, he began running down the carpet, stopping only when he was but arm’s length from the man. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head, tears filling his eyes.

“My Liege, I thought never to see you again, Sire!”

The old man smiled. “Arise, Sir Guy, my faithful knight and friend. Arise and embrace your loyal friend and King.”

Sir Guy fairly leapt into the arms of the older man, hugging him as a long lost son would a father.

“King Richard!” Marian stood just behind her husband, curtseying deeply.

“Ah, your lovely bride Marian,” King Richard loosed his grip upon Sir Guy. “Come child, give an old man a kiss of welcome, as you would your own father.”

Tears welled in Marian’s eyes and she rushed forward to gently kiss his whiskered cheek.

King Richard chuckled and looked between them. “I cannot tell you what good it does my heart to see you both together and happy. I prayed every night that the bottle I gave you with the genie inside would cause you no harm but instead help you to find your true love.”

“Sire, as you can see, all is well. We have two lovely children and our lives are complete.”

King Richard raised his eyebrows. “Two children?!? But I gave you that bottle only three months ago!”

Sir Guy laughed. “It is a long story, Sire, but what has been three months for you has been more than four years for Marian and I.”

“This is a story I must hear!” King Richard exclaimed. “But first, I must tell you why I am here, for I am afraid it is to tear you away from your beloved family.” His voice grew grim. “Prince John, the usurper, has allayed with King George.” Sir Guy was shocked. King George was Prince Charming’s ruthless, greedy adopted father. Charming had deposed him and left him without an army or fortune years ago. King Richard continued. “I thought that my mere return would be enough for the army under Prince John to return to my control, but King George’s re-constituted forces were too strong. I could not prevail. Many did return to my side. The men you see here are the surviving sons of four of my inner circle of knights. I trust them with my life,” King Richard added as he saw Sir Guy’s brows rise. They were but boys, in the eyes of Sir Guy, but King Richard knew that they had proven themselves men of worth. “We have come to seek your aid, Sir Guy, in defeating John and George. We must gather what knights and allies we can and go to war.”

 

Storybrooke

Leroy met Robin and David at the bottom of the stairs leading up to his apartment.

“What’s this all about, Leroy?” David asked.

Leroy looked around to make sure no one was within earshot.

“I think Regina still has some magic, but she just doesn’t know it. I didn’t want to tell her yet, because I’m not sure and I didn’t want to get her hopes up,” Leroy replied.

Robin wrinkled his brow in thought. “Why do you think she still has magic?”

Leroy looked around one more time and then waved at the two men to follow him up the stairs to his small apartment. Once upstairs, Leroy opened the door, but only wide enough to let one man in at a time.

Once inside, David and Robin looked around in amazement. Every square inch of the apartment was filled with various sizes of containers filled with beer. There were several large kegs, a multitude of small kegs, hundreds of bottles and two very large barrels.

David looked around and whistled. “Wow, Leroy, you’ve really got quite the volume going with your home brewing!”

“That’s just it. I haven’t brewed anything. Not now, not ever.”

“But… you’ve been selling it at Granny’s for a couple of weeks now,” David replied.

“Well, yeah, I have to do something with it. It’s been popping in faster than I can drink it! Believe me, I’ve tried!”

Robin cleared his throat. “Popping… in?”

“Yeah. I first started getting them about three weeks ago. A little unspoken thank you from Regina for standing by her, I think. My mini-fridge was constantly full of beer. Then it stopped when Regina started wearing the bracelet that trapped her magic. The day the accident happened, and when we thought Regina had lost her magic entirely, a beer popped into my fridge. Every since then they’ve been popping in like crazy. Usually there’s a lull during the day. Maybe one bottle around lunchtime. The big ones pop in at night or early morning. An extra weird thing happened yesterday afternoon – a big bottle of root beer popped in instead of regular beer.”

Robin closed his eyes and thought back to yesterday afternoon. “Do you remember what time that happened yesterday?”

“Hmm, it was not long after I walked in after leaving the Mayor’s office yesterday afternoon,” Leroy said.

Robin let out a gush of air, remembering the tingling sensation when he and Regina had simultaneously kissed Roland.

“I think I know what’s triggering the beer to appear,” he said, avoiding the eyes of both men.

“Really? What?” David asked.

“I, uh, think it’s linked to when Regina and I kiss,” he said recalling the hundreds of occasions they had kissed and felt that electric spark. As he looked at the larger bottles, kegs, and barrels, he also thought of the _other_ times that spark had occurred. “And, to, uh, other occasions.”

David’s eyebrows looked like they were going to crawl all the way up and over his head. “Soooo, the bottles are when you kiss and the kegs and barrels are…”

Robin turned a little red. “Manifestations of our love for one another.”

“Oh, well, looks like you had a couple of good nights of manifestations!” David pointed at the two large barrels.

Leroy cleared his throat. “Actually, those both showed up on the same night.”

“Really!” David smiled at the archer.

Robin decided to take charge of the situation. “I think the important thing here is the discovery that Regina does, in some way, have magic. And she has to learn to start controlling it.”

“Or you have to learn to start controlling something else,” David grinned.

“Not a chance,” Robin snapped back. “Leroy, sell or give away as much of this as you can, because for the foreseeable future, it’s going to keep on popping in!”


	6. Hope

Storybrooke

Hook had been dispatched to pick up pizza for an impromptu family movie night at Regina’s, with Henry and Roland accompanying him to ensure that he did not bring back anything ‘funny’. The last time Hook had gone on his own he had brought back such delightful combinations as anchovy and pineapple, and jalapeno and honey-baked ham slices. 

Once the three were out of the house, Regina and Emma informed the Charmings and Robin of the real reason they had called everyone together, excluding the children and Hook. As Regina and Emma retold their findings at the jail, the other three said nothing, but Mary Margaret’s hand raised to her mouth, David’s face grew hard, and Robin slipped his hand around Regina’s.

“I can understand why the children aren’t here to hear this, but what about Hook? Did you already tell him, Emma?” David asked.

Emma reddened a bit. “It was a hard decision. I know keeping this from him is going to hurt our relationship, but considering how he feels about Gold, I just can’t trust that he’ll be able to hide his feelings.”

Mary Margaret asked the question on everyone’s minds. “But should we be pretending? Isn’t it better to just confront him?”

Regina shook her head. “He has too much to lose now. He and Belle are married. I gave her the dagger that controls him, Belle tried to give it to him, but she told me that he gave it back to her. If he really gave the dagger back to her, then my sister would be alive. So not only did he kill Zelena, but he lied to Belle. He’ll want to keep that from her at all costs. She is all he has.”

Robin squeezed her hand. Regina had been right. Her odd feelings about Gold did mean something. And she had lost her only remaining blood relation because of him. Everyone of her blood relations because of him and nearly lost her own soul to boot. His face twisted into a fearful scowl.

“I’m not sure that I can pretend around him, either. I’d rather throttle the life out of him.”

“Robin! You have to control your feelings around him. Anything else might put the boys in danger,” Regina said with a slight pleading. She looked at him for reassurance, her face too pale and dark shadows under her eyes.

Robin’s face softened. She hadn’t been sleeping or eating well lately. They were living together now and while delightful, that must also be stressful for her. And he had been spending too much time trying working toward the training center – up and gone long before she was out of bed each day. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Don’t worry, milady, for you and our boys I can be the best actor in the world.”

Mary Margaret grabbed David’s hand when Robin referred to Henry and Roland as ‘our’ boys. David knew why without Mary Margaret having to say anything. Despite all that had happened between them, the Charming’s loved Regina and were thrilled that a man like Robin loved her, too.

Regina sighed. “I do not regret for one moment losing my magic the way I did, but without it, we’re at a serious disadvantage dealing with Gold if he truly turns violent. We might have had a chance with Emma and I combining powers along with Blue, Tink, and the rest of the fairies, but only a slim one even then.” She sighed. “I suppose I could start training again, but without even a spark of magic in my body, I don’t know what good it would be.”

“Uh,” David paused and cleared his throat. “Regina, not all your magic may be gone.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Well, you know how you cast a spell to make Leroy’s fridge magically re-fill with beer? Well, beer is still showing up, but in a lot larger volume and outside of the fridge, too. Leroy hasn’t been making his own beer – he’s been selling it at Granny’s just so that he has enough room to move around his apartment,” David explained.

“Well why didn’t the stunted wonder say anything to me? He stands just feet away from me every day!”

Mary Margaret chuckled. “Beer, Regina! He didn’t want to chance his endless supply drying up!”

Emma turned excitedly to Regina. “If we can figure out a pattern to when the beer turns up, maybe we can figure out what sparks your magic!” She looked over at David. “Dad, did Leroy notice any patterns?”

David fumbled for an answer, but Robin’s voice cut across him. “No, Leroy didn’t notice one. And he didn’t tell you directly, Regina, because he was afraid of getting your hopes up unnecessarily.” Regina’s face softened slightly.

“So there’s hope I can regain at least some magic through training, but frankly, I can’t train the way I did the first time. There was too much focus on darkness and I’m afraid…” Her voice trailed off.

“You’re afraid of becoming evil again,” Mary Margaret said. “Don’t be. It won’t happen. It’s not the Dark One training you this time. We’ll ask Blue if she’ll help you and Emma with light magic training.”

Regina hesitated then nodded. She wasn’t fond of the fairy, but there was little choice. She sighed. “I suppose we’ve nothing to lose.”

Robin squeezed her hand again. “Have faith, Regina.”

David stood up. “All right. We let Gold be for now – there’s no reason to believe he’ll do anything dangerous so long as he doesn’t realize we know. Regina and Emma will train with the Blue Fairy. There’s no need to tell Blue anything other than the simplest truth – that Regina wants to rediscover her magic and Emma wants to further develop hers. Agreed?” Everyone nodded just as they heard the voices of Hook and the boys returning with the pizzas, but hardly anyone felt very hungry. Regina ate not at all.

 

The Enchanted Forest (Kingdom of Corona)

The food was delicious, but Marian couldn’t bring herself to eat. King Richard had returned, but was going to take her husband away to war. The King had already lost so many men – in fact, he was reduced to leading mere boys. How many against-the-odds battles would it take before her own Sir Guy were claimed as well? Tears shimmered in her eyes.

“My Lady Marian,” King Richard said softly from across the table. “I said too little earlier. I told you I was taking your husband away from you, but I do not intend to send him into battle -- at least not until our forces are strengthened and our chances improved. I have no desire to lose any more good men.” Marian smiled broadly at her King.

“Then what is the task you desire of me, sire?” Sir Guy asked.

“I need your experience, your knowledge, your leadership skills,” he said. “I have fine young men who follow me. None finer in all the land. I thank our beloved God for the honor to be their King every day. I need someone to train them as knights, to teach them strategy and leadership with honor. I need someone to teach them how to lead an army. And I need help in recruiting that Army. To have the last remaining of my legendary inner circle of knights be the man to help me will rally the people together.”

“Sire, I am deeply humbled and honored. I will happily spend every minute in training and recruiting, but I must tell you, I am not your last knight,” Sir Guy replied.

“No? I believed all had perished when I returned to Sherwood and none joined me,” he said.

Sir Guy shook his head. “No. One survived and fought valiantly in Sherwood Forest though he lost his property, family, and title.”

King Richard nodded his head. “Sir Robert. I heard the tales of he and his Merry Men, but there was no trace of him or his band in Sherwood. I was told they had left nearly a year earlier.”

“That is true. They were helping to defend the Enchanted Forest from a wicked witch and her winged minions, but then a curse came across the land and they were taken to a far distant realm, otherwise nothing would have stopped him from joining you,” Sir Guy said.

One of the young knights gasped. “Is it a horrible realm of fire and brimstone or some other torture? Is he safe?”

Marian smiled. “Storybrooke is actually a lovely place. Much different than here, but in good ways. Robin is quite happy there. He and his soul mate are together and I hope,” she clasped Sir Guy’s hand, “that when next we see them that he and his love have married.”

“You have been to this Storybrooke?” King Richard asked.

“We both have,” Sir Guy answered.

“You can travel there again?”

Sir Guy nodded once more. “Yes. We have to wait for the White Rabbit to take us, but he comes and checks on us once a fortnight. He should be here again tomorrow, in fact.” The rabbit’s guilt at having lost them on their honeymoon and then misplacing their children for a year meant that he now kept in very good touch.

“The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways,” King Richard proclaimed. “Sir Guy, I charge you to go to Sir Robert and seek his aid in our endeavor. And give him this,” he reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a small gold and deep ruby signet ring carrying the same image as the tattoo on Sir Guy’s arm – a lion reared back with its paws in the air. “It was to have been my wife’s, Berengaria, but she succumbed to an illness while I was held hostage. I have no children upon whom to bequeath it. Take the ring to Sir Robert as proof of my love and as my present to him to give to his beloved as their wedding gift.”

Sir Guy was stunned, but accepted the ring. Marian whispered to Sir Guy, “We have to tell him who Regina is, or rather was, if he is to make a gift of this ring to Robin for her.”  
Sir Guy nodded and took a deep breath. “Sire, you should know that Robin’s loved one is someone you will have heard of, a queen of the Enchanted Forest, named Regina.”

“The Evil Queen?” One of the knights half rose from his seat, his look menacing.

“She’s no longer evil,” the King of Corona said. “Caustic sometimes, but not evil. She welcomed my wife and I into her home and reunited us with our daughter.”

“It’s true that she’s good now, and even a hero who wields light magic. We’ve both seen it,” Sir Guy said.

“Sire, this woman has killed hundreds in cold blood, she does not deserve to wear your ring. She does not deserve to even live,” another of the young knights said. His comrades joined him in a chorus of condemnations of the Evil Queen. King Richard raised his hand.

“Enough! I give the ring to Sir Robert, but I have no qualms that he should give it his beloved, even if she were once the scourge of the forest,” he paused to let his words sink in. “The Apostle’s writings tell us that judgment belongs to God, not to mortal men. Is not our faith based on the hope of redemption? Of forgiveness? I trust Sir Robert and if he believes that she has repented, then perhaps this ring can be a symbol of her new path, reminding her that she is not alone as she struggles to walk in righteousness. She has a friend she has never met who supports her.”

Sir Guy had to clear his throat before he could speak. “It would be my great honor, your Majesty, to convey this ring and your words to Sir Robert and to my friend Regina. They will mean more than you can ever know.”


	7. Timing

Storybrooke

Regina hung back as Emma opened one of the large double doors to the Convent sanctuary. Emma turned when she realized Regina wasn’t following her.

“Regina, come on. Mother Superior is waiting for us,” she insisted.

Regina’s face sported an annoyed frown. “Shouldn’t we meet in her office? Or out in the woods where we can’t do damage to anything? This hardly seems like an appropriate location to practice magic.”

Emma shrugged. “This is where she said to meet her. Maybe she’ll take us out to the woods after she gives a lecture on magic or something.”

“This looks more like a place for sermons rather than lectures,” Regina grumbled, unmoving.

“What is wrong with you? Why don’t you want to go into the church?” Emma asked, exasperated.

“I’m fine going into the church,” Regina said stubbornly and finally followed Emma in. How could she tell her that it just felt wrong for her to be in this place? That she, the Evil Queen, had murdered, tortured and harmed so many people that it felt disrespectful to be here.

Mother Superior was at the altar on her knees saying a prayer. After a moment she rose and faced her guests as they came down the carpeted center aisle, Regina still lingering behind. It didn’t take much perception to see that Regina was uncomfortable, her gaze darting from one stained glass window to another, as if she were expecting the angels and saints depicted there to leap from the windows and vanquish her.

“Regina,” Mother Superior said in her most soothing voice. “You have nothing to fear here. This is not a place of vengeance.”

A snappy retort flashed into Regina’s mind, but for some reason it died on her tongue. “No, it’s not,” she agreed. “But neither is it a place of magic. Why are we here to train?”

“No, it’s not a place of magic, but it is a place of faith and faith is essential to be a strong practitioner of light magic,” Mother Superior replied.

Regina’s brow furrowed. “But fairies aren’t religious. I only chose to make you nuns under the curse because I thought it suited your uptight and self-righteous attitudes.” Emma’s eyebrows rose in surprise at Regina’s frankness. Certainly no love lost between the Blue Fairy and the Evil Queen!

Fortunately, Blue had a lot of practice at not losing her temper. “I daresay you are not the only one who thinks of us that way, but while we did not practice a specific religion, we are spiritual creatures and cursing us as nuns was actually no curse at all from our perspective. We happily remain nuns even though we need not be anymore,” she explained. She gestured to the front pew. “Please, sit, and we’ll begin the lesson.”

Emma and Regina took up seats beside one another and looked expectantly at their teacher.

“As you may know, more people carry magic within them than can actually access it. This is why a magical being can sometimes draw additional power from someone who seems non-magical. Sometimes that magic is so subtle, so slight, that it will never manifest, no matter the training or motivation.” Regina nodded and looked slightly bored, but Emma was fascinated.

“In other people, there is the possibility to harness the magical spark and even to build it,” Blue continued. “Strong emotion is the easiest way to tap into magic, and this is where light and dark magic diverges. Dark magic draws on strong negative emotions such as hate, jealousy, and anger. Light magic draws on positive emotions such as love, compassion, and joy. Emotion, however, is just the conduit for magic to travel from within the body to manifest outside. It cannot control the power. Regina, in dark magic, what did you use to control it?” Blue asked.

Regina narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure. It’s been so long since I had to think about instead of just _doing_ it. Concentration is important, but it’s also as if you’re taking the emotion you used to summon the magic and then putting that emotion in a separate part of your mind. In a way, you become two people – one wild with emotion and the other cold and logical. The cold person takes charge, but the angry one is still there boiling just beneath the surface.” Regina abruptly tightened her lips. Instead of simply answering the question she felt as if she were revealing secrets about herself.

Blue nodded her head. “I have read it described that way before, but I’ve never had the chance to ask someone who has actually experienced it. Thank you, Regina.” Blue turned to Emma. “Emma, when you use light magic, is that the way it feels for you?”

“More or less, but I don’t feel cold or devoid of emotion, just momentarily detached. I thought it was because I was concentrating so hard,” Emma replied.

“Concentration does contribute to that feeling of separation, and frankly, you can be a very strong practitioner of light magic without ever moving beyond the stage of concentration and separation,” Blue said. She had Regina’s full attention now.

“In dark magic, with years of practice and sufficient innate power you can become so adept that you barely notice the concentration and separation, but I’ve never heard that there was a stage beyond that.”

Blue shook her head. “I don’t believe there is one in dark magic. Throughout history, even very few practitioners of light magic have ever attained the next stage. I have, temporarily, been able to accomplish it but it always goes away quickly.”

“Why is it so difficult?” Emma asked.

“Because it requires something neither logical nor emotional. It requires faith, pure and absolute.”

Emma and Regina looked at one another with raised eyebrows. Emma gave Blue a wry grin. “Well, I think you can strike both of us off the contender list for doing that kind of magic. Faith is a lot like trust and we both have issues in that arena.” Regina was about to protest, but then nodded in agreement.

Blue smiled. “The greatest practitioners of light magic, the few who were able to attain this level, began their lives devoid of faith. One had even been a powerful dark wizard before turning to the light. There is a theory that none of us who lived and were raised in the light can ever reach that level. It is said that only those who truly know what it is to be without faith and love can, once they find their way to it, be able to harness its power.”

Regina and Emma exchanged another look.

“So what do we do?” Regina asked.

Blue smiled. “We begin with meditation. Focus inwardly first. Think of the things within yourself that cause you to doubt, to fear, to mistrust. Then I want you to take that focus outward and think about how you can manifest the opposite of those things. Our lessons will focus on this kind of meditation until your minds and souls are free of the things that restrict your ability to have faith.”

Emma sighed. “Okay, well we’d better get started because it could take a really long time to get rid of all my doubts and fears.”

Blue smiled. “We’ll work through it together. I’ll meditate just as you do.”

 

The Enchanted Forest (Kingdom of Corona)

Marian’s arms hung around Sir Guy’s neck as she wished him a tearful farewell.

“I won’t be gone long, my love,” he promised. “A day, no more.”

Marian looked down balefully at the White Rabbit by her husband’s side. “It better be just a day.”

Rabbit muttered something about “one or two tiny mistakes and you’re labeled for life.”

Marian turned back to her husband. “You have the drawings the children made for Roland? And my note for Robin and Regina?”

“Yes, dear. In the same pocket as King Richard’s ring,” he assured her. “And I have memorized your personal message to Roland.”

“I am tempted to take the children and go with you, but they are so happy here and after their traumatic last journey through a rabbit hole, I don’t want to subject them to it just yet.” She shot another glare down at Rabbit, who opted to look a different direction.

“I know, my dear. We’ll let the memory fade a bit more. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can’t get the Hoods and Charmings to come out to visit.” Gisbourne promised, kissing her head. “Now, we must go. Assure King Richard I will return promptly with experienced men to hone his knights.”

 

Storybrooke

Robin and David were bent over a table at the Merry Men’s campsite studying plans for their future training academy.   The paper on top was covered in architectural drawings depicting a proposed layout for the outdoor and indoor components of the facility. They were done in Sir Guy’s neat hand. He had sent them back with Rabbit a week or two previously and Robin and David were now trying to compare how well Sir Guy’s memory of the location matched with the reality.

David raised his head and looked around. “Not bad. I think we’ll only have to make some minor adjustments to make the plans fit the space. We can even do the outdoor training while the indoor facility is being built.”

Robin shook his head. “I still don’t know why we need an indoor facility.   We never had such a luxury training as knights.”

“So in Sherwood Forest, when you were Sir Robert and a trusted and loyal knight of King Richard, you did all your training outdoor and never in the great hall by a raging fire?” David cocked an eyebrow at him.

Robin had the grace to blush. “We did sometimes, of course.”

“And did you never have to fight up stairwells or across tables and chairs?”  
Robin grinned, as if recollecting a fond memory. “On occasion.”

“Then Charm School needs an indoor facility.”

“We are not naming the Bow and Steel Academy after you,” Robin said firmly.

“And we’re not naming it anything that has the same initials as Boy Scouts of America. We want to encourage women and girls to come, too.”

Robin rolled his eyes. “Did your cursed personality provide what Regina calls political correctness or were you born this way?”

David grinned. “I’ve always been this way, but I admit this realm has encouraged it further. By the way, mentioning Regina, how is she? What with all this start-up I haven’t seen her much. Snow says she’s been looking pretty pale and not eating much.”

Robin nodded. “I know. It’s beginning to worry me a bit, but I’m trying not to nag. She’s had a lot of stress and upset. I hope training with the Blue Fairy will help give her an outlet.”

“And when are you going to stop living in sin with her?” David asked, a sparkle in his eye.

“Hey! What happened to the politically correct friend?” Robin asked wryly.

David grinned. “Oh, that was the guy from here who’s not related to her. The person wondering if you’re going to put a ring on her finger is her step-son-in-law and one of her heirs to the throne. Don’t want a dowager queen hanging around my neck forever!” he said laughing.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I was going to ask her a few days ago and then I found out that in this realm you ask with a ring at the ready. I’ve looked in Gold’s shop and a few other places around town. I can’t find anything that’s worthy of Regina,” he sighed.

“She won’t care what it’s like,” David assured him. “All that matters is that it’s from you.” He paused a moment. “You do realize that she may bolt when you ask her? Her first marriage was forced upon her. I would never say this in front of Snow, but even though King Leopold was a good father to her, I daresay he did not treat his teenage bride with much tenderness.”

Robin nodded his head. “Regina has only ever spoken of it to me once, after a nightmare, and I daresay she left a lot out. Suffice to say, he was interested in having a male heir and Regina was not a willing participant.” He sighed. “She knows this is different though, and I have a plan to make it as distinct and different from the first proposal she received as possible.”

“For one thing,” David conceded, “Her mother won’t be there to answer for her. That’s a big step forward!”

A loud boom at the edge of the clearing caught their attention. It was the Rabbit and Sir Guy emerging from one of the Rabbit’s portals. David and Robin rushed over smiling.

“Sir Guy! You’re just in time. We were just going over the plans for the school,” David said.

“Come up with a name for it yet?” Sir Guy asked. The other two shook their heads.

“That’s proving a tad difficult,” Robin said. “But you can help us work on that.”

Sir Guy shook his head. “Regrettably, I am here for another reason than the school,” he said, his face turning grim. “Prince John has joined forces with King George and is laying waste to Sherwood Forest. King Richard has returned to try and stop them, but he is badly outnumbered and his knights, while brave and true, are young and inexperienced. He needs you, Robin, and anyone else with the ability and judgment to lead and strategize.” He turned to David. “Prince James, you have fought and won against your father King George in the past. Your assistance would be invaluable.”

“I will, of course, come to King Richard’s aid as will the Merry Men, but I must speak to Regina. I would like her to come as well, but I’m unsure how she would feel returning to the Enchanted Forest.” All three men knew it wasn’t just about how she would feel, it was about how others would feel in regard to the Evil Queen returning to that realm.

Sir Guy nodded understandingly and reached into his pocket and withdrew a small pouch. “I spoke of you and Regina to King Richard. He gave me this ring to give to you as a mark of his affection and regard for you. It is his hope that you will in turn give it to Regina as proof that he is a friend to her as well,” Sir Guy cleared his throat of the emotion that had begun to coat it. “He said to tell her it is a symbol of her new path, reminding her that she is not alone as she struggles to walk in the light. She has a friend she has never met who supports her.”

Robin took the pouch and removed the tiny signet ring and looked at it wonder, he eyes misting. Sir Guy continued in a soft voice. “Robin, it was made for King Richard’s wife, but she passed away while he was a hostage, many years ago. He has no heir and he has waited a very long time for the right person, the right situation, in which to bestow this ring.”

Robin swallowed with difficulty. “This means a great deal to me, and it will to Regina, as well.”

“Not to mention the excellent timing!” David clapped Robin on the shoulder. “Nothing to stop you from asking her to marry you now!”

“I am about to go off to war, my friend!” Robin protested.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, don’t put off the important things because of timing. Life is moments. Don’t miss this one,” David said firmly.


	8. Proposals

Storybrooke

“Now, Daddy?” Roland asked his father in a loud whisper as they walked into Regina’s house with Henry. He was smiling happily, dimples on full display. Robin couldn’t help but smile back.

“Not yet, lad,” he replied. “I need to speak to Regina first about the note from your mother and step-father.” It still seemed strange to Robin to call Sir Guy that.

“But I want to do it now!” Roland said impatiently. Henry laughed and grabbed the younger boy’s hand.

“Come on, squirt, let’s go play in the back yard while Mom and Dad talk,” Henry said. Robin gave a little start at he and Regina being called Mom and Dad so casually by Henry. It felt right and shot a bolt of joy through his heart. As Henry walked away, he looked back over his shoulder at Robin. “And don’t worry – she’ll say yes to everything – especially if you use the trump card I gave you!”

Robin smiled conspiratorially back at the boy. “Cunning! You’ll make a great strategist some day.”

Robin found Regina in the kitchen, where she held a bottle of pink liquid medicine in one hand and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in the other – looking back and forth between them as if weighing a decision.

Robin raised his eyebrows. “I take it you’ve had another tough day of meditating with Emma and Mother Superior?”

Regina smiled at him. “I thought meditation was supposed to be relaxing, but the things the Fairy has us focusing on gives me an upset stomach and an urge for comfort food all at the same time.   Emma just has the comfort food craving. Today, when he was picking up Emma, the pirate told me the upset stomach is probably the residual evil in my body working its way out through my ‘gut,’ as he so eloquently phrased it.” At that moment, a wave of queasiness hit her and she brought the hand with the ice cream to her stomach, frowning. Robin maneuvered a chair under her and plucked the dessert out of her hand to put it away.

“I hear the pink concoction is wonderful at battling evil,” Robin said wryly. “And then you should follow it with some crackers and maybe some light soup. You really haven’t been eating enough lately. We’re all getting worried about you. David and Mary Margaret have been nagging me to nag you more to go see a doctor.” He began rummaging in the cupboards to make her some soup. Regina sighed and poured out a measure of the pink liquid.

“I will,” she said. “If it gets worse.” Robin frowned, but knew not to push at the moment. Time to change the subject.

“Sir Guy showed up at the training site today with the White Rabbit,” he said conversationally.

Regina looked up at him, wiping a little pink drop off from her lip with a napkin. “Just the two of them?” she asked in a surprised voice.

Robin raised an eyebrow. “You expected more?”

Regina nodded. “Typically mayhem and chaos accompany Guy wherever he goes.”

Robin barked out a laugh. “He said you’d say something like that. He told me to tell you that he left them behind in the Enchanted Forest with their mother. And he wanted me to say that he misses you, too.” Regina flushed a bit and muttered something that sounded like ‘arrogant know-it-all.’

“He’ll be around to visit later tonight. He wanted to give us an opportunity to talk first.”

“About what?” she asked.

Robin took a mental deep breath and fingered the little pouch with the ring in his pocket for good luck.

“There’s trouble in Nottinghamshire. Prince John has joined forces with King George and they are crushing Sherwood Forest, Nottingham town, and the surrounding lands. King Richard tried to unseat them, but King George’s seasoned mercenaries thwarted him. King Richard has taken refuge with the royal family of Corona while he re-groups. He has forces loyal to him, but they are young and self-trained. He has asked Sir Guy and me to go to the Enchanted Forest and train his young knights in strategy and leadership.” Robin paused a moment to let his words sink in and then continued softly. “He has not asked us to engage in battle ourselves, but I am prepared to do that. Whatever else I have become since I swore my allegiance to King Richard, I am still his faithful servant. I must do this, Regina, and I want you to come with me.”

Regina felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He couldn’t leave. SHE couldn’t leave. Not now that she’d discovered Gold’s secret. Besides, what good could she do in her old realm? “I have no magic, Robin, what possible use could I be to you and King Richard’s cause?”

“Regina, you are one of the most intelligent people and savvy strategist I have ever met. Plus you know King George almost as well as David himself does. Without a single spark of magic you are still an incredible asset. And even if you knew nothing of King George and were dumb as a log, you’d still be an asset to me. I can’t imagine being separated from you for any length of time or that I would have the strength to do what I need to without you,” he said without artifice, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

“I don’t know,” she said slowly, still thinking about Gold.

“You’re worried about leaving while we’re still figuring out what to do about Gold,” he guessed. She nodded. He squeezed her fingers. “Look, we’ve already assessed that he won’t do anything if he doesn’t suspect we know. What better way to keep out of his way than to leave entirely? David and Snow are going to go and are taking Neal with them. Marian and Sir Guy have invited all of us and it will be a wonderful way to re-introduce Roland to his half-brother and sister. We’ll all be safe at the castle in Corona. Emma can stay here and keep an eye on Gold. Henry can come with us and get a proper introduction to the realm of his forefathers.”

“Henry is NOT coming. It’s too dangerous there!” Regina said firmly.

Robin nodded his head and used a very casual voice as Henry had instructed. “All right. I misjudged. I didn’t think you’d want to leave Henry here with Emma and Hook. He and Henry do get along well – I’m sure the Captain can come up with any number of things to keep Henry occupied while we’re away.”

Regina shuddered. “On second thought, we’ll all go. Maybe if we’re back in the Enchanted Forest I might be able to recover some of my magic and I’ll be able to protect Henry and everyone else better.” The microwave pinged behind Robin and he retrieved Regina’s soup.

“Wonderful, my love! You won’t regret this decision. Now eat your soup and when you’re done we’ll go out into the backyard and play with Henry and Roland.” He kissed the top of her head as if she were a youngster herself and then swept her hair to one side to lavish a much different kiss on her neck. “Can’t wait to see you back in our realm wearing one of those tight, plunging neckline outfits you used to favor. You can’t imagine how many times back then that I used to dream of you in one… and out of it.”

Regina blushed almost as red as her tomato soup. “Robin Locksley! Are you telling me that you used to have lascivious dreams about me when we were in the Enchanted Forest and I was treating you hatefully?”

His teeth nibbled on her ear as he replied with a muffled, “mmm-hmm.”

Regina stood up abruptly and began to walk out of the kitchen quickly. Robin caught her hand in surprise. “Where are you going?”

“To go to my vault and get my Enchanted Forest outfits. I’m going to need one when the boys are asleep tonight,” she said seriously. Laughing, he pulled her in tight to him and parted her lips with his own. After a long moment he pulled away slight breathless. “Wench! Finish your soup. We have a play date with the boys outside. Then we’ll go get your clothes…”

 

Once Regina had dutifully finished her soup, albeit with a great deal of effort, she changed into clothes more suitable for playing with the children and accompanied Robin outside.

The boys were merrily chasing after one another between the bushes and trees, but when they saw their parents emerge from the house, they ran up to them. Henry got a wink from Robin that meant his mother had agreed to the trip.

“Daddy! Now?” Roland asked. His father nodded. “Yes, son. Now.” Roland grinned and grabbed Regina’s hand. “Come sit over here, ‘Gina! Right in the middle.” He pointed to the white wrought iron bench that looked over on her favorite apple tree.

Henry dashed over to grab a small bundle that lay on top of a long shape wrapped in cloth.

“What game is this?” Regina asked Roland.

He shook his head. “Not a game! It’s ser-, ser-,” he looked at his father for help.

“Serious,” Robin obliged.

“It’s seer-yuss,” Roland said happily.

“Oh, well, all right,” Regina replied, sitting as instructed.

Roland and Robin stood back-to-back just in front of the bench, with their sides toward Regina.

Regina smiled. “Not a game. A show?”

Henry approached Roland with the smaller bundle. Without looking at his mother, and with a somber face, he said simply, “Not a show.” He flipped back the edge of the cloth bundle to reveal a boy-sized wooden sword that had been stained and lacquered to make it shine. He knelt in front of the young boy and held the bundle at Roland’s arm height. Roland took it with an air of deep concentration that made his dimples pop into his cheeks. He clasped one little hand around the hilt and slid the other palm up under the blade, then drew it straight toward him. He kept his eyes straight ahead even while Henry rose and walked ceremoniously around to the back of the bench. Regina heard him pick up the other bundle and watched out of the corner of her eye as Henry came around the far side of the bench and approached Robin with great formality and solemnity.

Regina smiled to herself. Her boys had done a great deal of practicing on whatever this little ritual was supposed to be. Robin was such a wonderful father to indulge them in their playacting!

Henry’s second burden was much heavier and it wobbled a bit as he stopped to face Robin. Robin reached out with both hands and carefully, slowly pulled back the cloth to reveal polished steel that dazzled in the sunlight. As Robin’s right hand went to the hilt, the side closest to Regina, she caught sight of the carved lion, outlined in black against bright silver. It was King Richard’s crest and Regina’s heart leapt into her throat. It was the sword Robin had been given when he became one of the King’s trusted inner circle of knights – the same day he had received his matching lion tattoo. Robin would never play-act with this sword. It was a symbol of honor, loyalty, trust and courage. He had described it to her, but she had never seen it. He told her he had wrapped it up and put it away the day he felt he was no longer Sir Robert of Locksley, Knight of King Richard the Lionheart, but Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. He told her felt he had no right to hold it anymore. And now, here he was, taking it into his hands and bowing slightly to Henry, who folded the now empty cloth and stepped to stand at the end of the bench. Henry cleared his throat.

“Your Majesty, Queen of the Enchanted Forest, Mayor of Storybrooke, my beloved mother, Regina Mills. I present to you with my blessing, Sir Robert Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon and Master Roland Locksley.”

At the end of his words, Robin and Roland turned as one toward Regina. They lightly planted their swords into the ground with their right hands and knelt on one knee behind their sword. Robin’s left hand went to his pocket and retrieved a small object. Roland glanced out of the corner of his eye to see what he was to do next and quickly reached into his own pocket, retrieving something else. He began speaking at a nod from his father.

“My lady, please ‘sept this token of my love for you and for my friend and almost brother Henry,” he reached forward and dropped something into Regina’s extended hand. She was nearly crying with the cuteness of him and his reference to Henry as his ‘almost brother’.   She examined the small object he had given her. It was an oval silver locket with an engraved heart on the front on a long silver chain. She opened it to find a picture of Roland on one side and a picture of Henry on the other.

“Oh, my darling, this is wonderful! I’ll put it on now and keep it near my heart every waking moment,” she slipped it over her head as she spoke. She was dying to reach out and hug the little boy and he began to rise as if he wanted to leap into her lap, but with the sound of his father’s throat clearing, Roland settled back down onto one knee and put back on his stoic face.

“Milady, I have asked permission of your male protectors, Prince Henry and Prince David, to present myself and my son to you this day and they have granted their permission,” Robin began. Regina nodded her head regally to cover her rapidly beating heart and fluttering eyes. “My son and I love you, my dearest Regina. We cherish and adore you. Please grant us this one heartfelt wish, to be my wife and my son’s mother, and to allow me to be Henry’s father, and Roland his brother.” He held out the ruby signet ring to her. “King Richard himself blesses this request and has sent this ring to me to present to you as a symbol of my love and his friendship.”

Regina gasped when she saw the glittering ruby and black lion inlay on the small gold ring. She recognized immediately that this was a special ring – not of the quality usually made to be given by royal houses to loyal retainers, but one given by a King to a Queen or an heir of the blood. Robin swallowed hard but his voice was strong and steady. “What say you, milady?”

For all she tried, Regina could force no words past her throat, so she simply held her left hand toward Robin. He slid the ring easily onto her ring finger then captured her fingers with his own and bent to press a kiss over the ring and her fingers, whispering a heartfelt “Thank you blessed Father,” as he did so. Regina found her voice, though shaky.

“Arise my brave, dear knights, and let me show you my love,” she reached an arm to Henry and pulling her hand from Robin’s, extended it toward Roland. Letting his little wooden sword fall to the ground, he leaped into Regina’s embrace. Henry followed from the other side with one arm around his mother and the other around Roland. Murmuring “I love you’s” to one another they hugged for a long moment until Henry shook Roland’s shoulder gently. “Come on, little brother, I think we should go play and let Mom and Dad hug a little while, too.”

Roland sighed but agreed, giving Regina one last hug before hopping down and running off into the yard.

Robin stood still with both hands on his sword, just looking at Regina. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “That was playing dirty to have both the children here participating in your proposal, thief. What if I had wanted to say no?”

“Oh, but as we said earlier, this wasn’t a game. It was too important not to ensure that I had every advantage,” he said smiling. “Did you WANT to say no?” he said it almost as an after thought but his eyes showed how intensely the question mattered to him. Regina shook her head.

“After Leopold, I thought I would never in my life ever marry again. But with you, I can’t imagine not marrying.”

Robin began to smile and moved his sword to lean it against the bench. He went back onto one knee and picked up both her hands. “In that case, without the pressure of the boys here, and just as me, Robin, and you, Regina, I will ask you again. Regina Mills, will you marry me?”

Regina smiled at him. Her heart and her stomach doing competing flip flops. She opened her mouth to say yes, but instead lurched to the side and emptied her stomach of its contents. She heard Robin cry out in concern and then the world got a little hazy.

 

Robin sent Henry to Sir Guy’s house, which was right behind Regina’s. Sir Guy had kept the house for he and Marian and the children to move into if they returned to Storybrooke. Henry ran back to Robin to report that Sir Guy was bringing his car around to take them to the hospital. Robin would rather not have taken the children to the hospital, but their was little choice if they wanted to get her there quickly so Henry and Roland shared the front passenger seat while Regina lay across the back seat with her head in Robin’s lap.

Regina was feeling better by the time they got there, but Robin insisted on carrying her in to the emergency room, only putting her down was she allowed into a treatment room. He would have continued to stay, but a stern-faced nurse shooed him away.

Out in the waiting area, Henry was already texting his grandparents and mother. Roland nearly flew from Sir Guy’s arms to his father’s when Robin joined them. Tears poured down his cheeks. “What’s wrong with Mama ‘Gina, Daddy?”

Robin hugged him close. “I don’t know, boy, but the doctors will find out and they’ll make her all better. Okay?” Roland nodded weakly.

They’d been sitting for only a short time when David and Mary Margaret, with Neal in his carrier, came rushing into the waiting room. “What happened?”

Henry answered first. “Robin proposed to Mom and she got violently ill.”

David raised his eyebrows at Robin. “I don’t remember that last part in your plan.”

Robin sighed. “It was unexpected, to be sure, but she had essentially already said yes, so I don’t think the proposal triggered the illness.”

Mary Margaret agreed. “She’s been weak and eating poorly for awhile. At least now we’ll find out why.”

They waited outside a while and then a nurse came to get Robin. He disappeared with her behind swinging white doors. Emma and Hook joined the group in the waiting area. Henry and Roland were beginning to get quite upset again when the nurse returned and said the rest of the family could go in to see her.

They trooped in with some trepidation to find Robin and Regina holding hands tightly, their eyes glistening with tears. Once everyone was inside, Regina spoke in a raspy voice.

“Snow White, as a princess raised properly in a household steeped in royal traditions, perhaps you can answer a question for me,” Regina asked.

Snow nodded her head, perplexed. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you. Is it allowed within royal etiquette to have an engagement party double as a baby shower?”

All jaws dropped and then there was squealing all around. Later on Hook claimed that Sir Guy and David had squealed just like the girls. The innermost of the family rushed the bed, hugging Regina and Robin, an electric tingling flowing over the whole group.

 


	9. The Engagement Party

Storybrooke

Regina stopped just outside Granny’s and looked up at the large banner that hung across the front, lit up by the lights in the courtyard. She sighed as she silently read it. In ornate computer-generated letters the sign read “Congratulations on the Engagement, Robin and Regina!” and in red marker, handwritten scrawl, someone had written “and baby” below the word engagement.

“Well, Mom, at least they got the order right,” Henry said, standing behind her.

Robin grinned. “Thank goodness I proposed and you said yes before we found out about the child!”

Regina addressed him sharply. “And why would _that_ have made a difference?”

Henry snorted. “Oh, Mom, you _know_ you would have started questioning whether Robin only asked because of the baby and you would probably have said no out of pride,” he said.

Regina gave Henry a fake glare. “Stop growing up.”

Roland pulled on Regina’s hand. “Can I keep growing up, Mama Gina?”

“Maybe. We can discuss it over a hot chocolate,” she promised with one last glance up at the sign before walking in. Granny was just inside the front door instructing Ruby and the dwarves on re-arranging tables. “Congratulations, you two! It took long enough,” she said, recalling the months of subtle pursuit Robin had engaged in while in the Enchanted Forest as well as Regina’s determined rebuttals.

“Some things are worth waiting for,” Robin said quickly, cutting off any chance for a rebuke from Regina.

Regina put on a forced but polite face. “Thank you for organizing all this so quickly, Granny. It’s only been a few hours since Robin proposed and you managed to get a huge sign made already,” she said.

“That?” Granny asked. “We had that sign weeks ago. Just been waiting on Robin to get off his duff.” She let that sink in a minute. “Well don’t just stand there blocking the front door, come on in! We set you up a table right in the middle of the room. Appetizers are half price and the beer and the root beer are free tonight.”

“Granny! That’s too generous – you can’t simply give these things away. You have a business and employees to support,” Regina protested. Robin shifted uncomfortably as Granny looked at him expectantly. Leroy walked up beside Granny and joined her in staring at Robin.

Robin looked over at Henry. “Henry, why don’t you take Roland to the counter and get a root beer float for him and anything you like – except alcohol – for yourself,” Robin asked.

Henry grinned. “Sure thing, but later you have to tell me what it is that you haven’t told Mom, but now you have to!”

Robin glared at him, “Stop growing up.” Henry merely laughed and pulled Roland away to the counter.

Regina watched them go then turned with her hands on her hips to face Robin. “Well?”

Robin glanced around at all the interested and amused faces watching them in the diner. He grabbed Regina’s hand and muttered, “Outside,” dragging her after him back into the courtyard.

No sooner had the door closed behind them than the dwarves, Granny and Ruby rushed to the windows to peek out. Henry and Roland slipped off the stools at the counter and found spots for themselves, too. Snow, who had been in a back booth with David and Baby Neal rushed forward to get the only view left – which meant standing on the seat of booth.

“Snow! What are you doing!?!” David came up behind her with Neal in his arms. Snow had the good grace to blush.

“I know it’s bad manners, but…” she said abashed. David shook his head.

“That’s not what I was talking about. You didn’t leave me any place to watch, too!”

At that moment they heard a screamed “WHAT?” in Regina’s voice from outside. All heads turned back to the windows and David found a small spot where he could pull apart the blinds and see half of the ‘happy’ couple. Although they couldn’t hear the words, they could see Regina’s arms alternate between sharp gesticulation and crossing her body, hanging on tightly to her forearms.

Robin kept his arms slightly extended from his body, palms up and muscles relaxed, as if he were approaching a potentially dangerous domesticated animal. He moved toward her slowly.

Leroy, still staring out the window, started speaking in an appalling imitation of Robin’s cultured English accent. “Milady, do not dwell on the minor negative details. Think of all the positive things that magically appearing beer means!”

Ruby, in an excellent, but exaggerated, imitation of Regina, right down to body posture, joined in the game. “Don’t try to distract me, Thief! You not only did not tell me that kegs of beer appear whenever we have sss,” Ruby stopped herself abruptly from saying ‘sex’ as she remembered Henry and Roland were in the room. “Sssome kisses, but you actively misled me about the source of all the beer. Leroy had taken up home brewing, indeed! You know, I was actually impressed that the surly twerp had started his own business, and now I found out he’s actually been profiting from our, uh, true love.”

“Regina, darling, I swear neither he nor Lady Granny have made any money from this. They have covered their expenses for moving the beer from Leroy’s and serving it at Granny’s, but the profits from sales has gone into a special bank account for all our children. Henry, Roland, and our baby,” Leroy finished his sentence just as they saw Robin’s right hand gently cover Regina’s belly.

“Damn that was good timing, Leroy!” David applauded. Everyone stopped looking through the windows and turned to watch Ruby and Leroy.

“Oh, Robin,” Ruby breathed, turning from the window herself to gaze deep into Leroy’s eyes. “You are the kindest, gentlest most honorable man I have ever met. How can you love an Evil Queen like me?” Hints of tears came to Ruby’s eyes. Leroy took a step toward her, holding his arms out in the same manner Robin had.

“You are not evil, my beloved, my dearest.”

“But I am!” Ruby protested throwing one arm across her eyes. “The only goodness within me exists only by the grace of my son and of you. I don’t deserve you!” she cried as he took another step toward her.

“It’s not about what we deserve, it’s about what we _feel_. You are the sovereign of my days,” Leroy’s voice dropped to a growl as he reached up to remove Ruby’s arm from across her eyes and draw her into a tight embrace, “and the queen of my nights.”

“Oh, Robin!” Ruby gushed.

“Oh, Regina,” Leroy murmured before he bent Ruby over his arm in a fake kiss.

“Oh, baloney!” Regina said from the doorway, her arm looped through Robin’s. “Good thing I can’t control this magic or I’d drop a keg of beer on both your heads!”

Leroy sprang away from Ruby and she nearly hit the floor -- only her wolf reflexes saving her.

Roland clapped with glee. “Do it again! Do it again! That was funny!”

“What are we doing again?” Hook asked from behind the newly engaged couple, Emma at his side.

“Nothing!” Regina snapped. “Please! Come in – join the party! Have some beer courtesy of Robin and I. I hear it’s so good that it’s practically orgasmic.”

David had just taken a large gulp of beer and started choking. He looked down at the glass in his hand. “I’m not so sure I can drink this anymore…” he said when his throat had cleared.

Hook clapped him on the back. “Buck up, mate!” he grinned evilly. “At least it’s not Emma and I producing that stuff.”

Emma grabbed her ill-mannered honey’s arm and dragged him out of striking distance from her father. “Do you have a death wish?” she hissed at him.

Regina sighed and turned to Robin, smiling. “Welcome to my dysfunctional extended family, darling. We’ve got dwarves, werewolves, goody-two-shoe’ers, pirates, witches, and smart-assed pre-teens, but we’re never bored and seldom boring.”

Robin smiled back. “Just the right place for an ex-knight and thief, his motley band of followers, his back-from-the-dead ex-wife and her annoying husband.”

As if on cue, Sir Guy walked into the diner. “Sir Robert! May I have your permission to kiss and embrace your future bride?”

“It is Regina’s choice who she embraces, but I am the guardian of her kisses,” he squinted up at the taller man thoughtfully. “If she approves, you’re allowed a chaste kiss to the forehead lasting no longer than two seconds.”

Regina rolled her eyes and elbowed Robin out of the way. “You’re allowed whatever I say you’re allowed.” She reached up but Sir Guy still had to bend a bit so that she could wrap them around his neck.

“I’m so happy for you, Regina, and I’m glad you’re going to come back with us to Corona Castle for awhile. I’ve missed your witty insults,” he said.

Regina shook her head. “You’re warped, Gisbourne, but that just makes you fit in with the rest of us.”

“I assume you two will get married before we leave?” Gisbourne asked.

“We haven’t discussed it yet, but speaking for myself, I don’t want to wait any longer,” Robin said, looking down at Regina. She felt a little flustered. Wasn’t getting engaged, finding out your pregnant and having your engagement party enough to do all in one day without thinking about wedding dates?

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Doesn’t it take time to put together a wedding?” Her mind went back to her wedding to King Leopold with hundreds of guests, ornate receptions before and after the wedding, days and days of gown fittings. Her brain began to freeze and panic set in.

Sir Guy didn’t seem to notice. “It doesn’t have to. Marian and I were wed the first time on one day’s notice and the second time, here in Storybrooke, we put it together in less than three days. We could do it day after tomorrow and then take off for Corona that evening.”

“The next day,” Robin interjected darkly. He had plans for Regina for the evening of the wedding.

Regina found Henry’s eyes with her own. He’d been listening in. He gave her a reassuring smile and nodded assent to her. Regina took a deep breath.

“All right. Day after tomorrow. In the evening. But I’ll need a lot of help,” she said.

Snow squealed with delight. “You’ve got it! We’ll look for a dress first thing in the morning. I’ve been eyeing one at Miss Scarlet’s dress shop that would look perfect on you!” Regina was a little worried what Snow’s idea of perfect looked like, but she nodded her head in agreement. What _had_ she done? This was going to be overwhelming.

Robin tipped her chin up and kissed her nose. “Just remember, my love, all that’s really necessary for a wedding is a bride, groom, two witnesses, a church, and a Holy Man. Everything else is just extras.” Regina should have found that comforting, but the thought of church still made shivers of guilt run up her spine, but she only smiled at her intended, giving nothing away of her misgivings.

The rest of the engagement became more a massive wedding committee meeting. Snow quickly organized everyone into working groups. Tink was in charge of arranging and decorating the church along with the other fairies. Friar Tuck would preside. The convent choir would provide music. The dwarves and Granny were managing the reception on the lawns of the convent. Emma, Hook, and the Merry Men were on event security, just in case there were still some townspeople out there intent on thwarting the Evil Queen’s happy ending. Invitations would be by word of mouth, but some personal phone calls would be made to ensure that those who might think themselves unwelcome would know otherwise. Snow and Regina would get a dress in the morning and Belle, who had walked into the party late with Gold, offered to make alterations. She had become quite the skilled seamstress in her time serving as the Dark One’s house servant.

The only thing left to decide was the composition of the wedding party itself. Regina pulled Robin into the back hallway of Granny’s for a quick consultation. They came back out, hand in hand, and smiling, as they returned to the booth where their family was sitting.

Robin knelt in front of Roland. “Roland, your are my dearest friend as well as my son. Will you stand with me as my Best Man?”

“Yes, Daddy!” and he threw his arms around his father’s neck for a hug.

Robin stood and faced Henry. “Henry, I promise I will love and cherish your mother. Will you help me make that promise in front of God and our friends? Will you stand with me as groomsman and take on the duties of that office?” He held his hand out toward Henry.

Henry grinned and clasped his hand in as firm a handshake as he could manage. “With great pleasure!”

Regina turned to Tinkerbell. “Tink, without you, I don’t know that this would ever have happened. Even though when you showed me my soul mate, it was not the right time for us to be together, I would never have had the courage to accept Robin into my life if you hadn’t shown me it was possible.” Regina took a deep breath. “Will you be my maid of honor?” Tink squealed with pleasure and threw her arms around Regina’s neck. After she extricated herself, Regina faced Snow.

“Snow White,” she said softly. “Many, many years ago, you were my bridesmaid when I unwillingly married your father. Of all the things from that day, you are the only one I want to replicate in this wedding. Will you be my matron of honor?”

Snow’s throat closed over and all she could do was smile and nod through her tears, taking Regina’s hands in her own.

David put a loving arm around Snow’s shoulders and hugged her close.

“Well, then, that’s the wedding party decided!”

Regina swallowed and let go of Snow’s hands. “Not quite,” she said. She looked up into David’s eyes. “David, over the years you and I tried many times to kill one another and then somehow, in the last three or four years, you’ve become my reluctant friend and protector. You are, at times, irritatingly optimistic, and stubborn all at the same time. However, in some of my devastating moments of the last few years – Daniel’s return, recovering from the torture I endured, and when I thought I had lost Robin, you were there. You are the closest thing I will ever have to a brother and I would be very pleased if you would consent to escort me down the aisle in two days time.”

Shock and surprise played across David’s face and his mouth was suddenly dry. He was quiet for a long moment and then he smiled. “I tried for years to get rid of you against your will. It will be my honor, Your Majesty,” he said as Regina’s eyes flew wide open at the phrase – typically David refused to recognize her as royalty, “to give you away with your consent and into the care and protection of one of the few men in any realm worthy of you.” He leaned forward and kissed Regina on top of her head, the tears she had been holding back falling freely down her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pure fluff chapter this time, but drama and intrigue coming up in the next installment in the Enchanted Forest!


	10. Bliss

Storybrooke

“What if he changes his mind?” Regina blurted out at her reflection in her mirror. She had been staring into it for long moments, oblivious to anything else around her. She nearly jumped when she heard a muffled voice behind her.

“Dnt be illy.” In the mirror, Regina saw Snow’s head pop out from behind Regina’s flowing skirt at about knee height, her mouth full of pins. Snow reached up and removed the pins, looking up into Regina’s eyes reflected in the mirror.

“Don’t be silly,” she repeated, more clearly. “The man adores you. And even if he didn’t before, he will the moment he sees how gorgeous you are in this dress.”

She leaned back behind Regina again to finish securing an edge of the silk hem that had come loose. She stood and took a couple of steps back to examine her handiwork.

“Oh, Regina, you do truly look more beautiful than I have ever seen you,” Snow smiled sweetly. For once Snow’s positivity didn’t irritate Regina and she returned the smile with complete joy. Snow’s heart leapt into her throat. She had a flash of a much younger Regina telling a child-sized Snow about her beloved Daniel. She kept the memory to herself and instead walked to join Regina in front of the mirror.

“You know, when you picked out a silver ball gown as your wedding dress I thought you were crazy, but pairing it with the sheer white lace was ingenious,” she said.

Regina looked at her own reflection again and couldn’t help but agree. She hadn’t wanted to wear pure white – not for a second marriage and certainly not as the formerly evil queen. In any case, pure white against her dark complexion just wasn’t her style. The simple full-skirted, strapless, deep silver gown had immediately caught her attention in Miss Scarlett’s dress shop the day before. It was the first and only dress she tried on. The fit had been perfect, which meant Belle had not alteration work to do, but it lacked a bridal air.   Scarlett had rushed into the back of the shop as Snow and Belle made Regina twirl around in the dress to see if it gave them any ideas for how to ‘wedding it up’ as Snow called it. Scarlett had rushed back with a bolt of fabric in her arms.

“This just came in yesterday,” she had explained. “I ordered it to make curtain for the front window, but when I saw it, it was too beautiful, so I thought I might make veils out of it instead. What do you think about a head-to-toe full circle veil anchored by a tiara at the top?”

Regina really didn’t get an opportunity to opine because the other women had already begun to unwind the cloth and toss it over Regina’s head. Scarlett had grabbed a rhinestone tiara from a display and shoved it atop Regina’s brow.

She had had to agree that the fabric was beautiful. It was a sheer, pure white with delicate leaf patterns etched with a silver thread that complemented the deep silver of the gown. Regina loved the delicate leaves that floated across the fabric. It reminded her of the forest in winter, sparkling in the sun. And the forest, of course, had reminded her of Robin. Yes, she had loved the fabric, but being covered head to toe in it like a shroud? With gawdy rhinestones on top? No.

Belle had had the same thought and stepped quickly forward. “The fabric is right, but the way we’re using it is wrong,” she had said, whisking the tiara away and pulling the fabric off from over Regina’s head. She had taken the cloth and laid it over the skirt. “What if I made an overlay for the whole dress, with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a matching veil that comes down to the top of the dress and sleeves in front, but long in back to act as a train?” Regina had narrowed her eyes, envisioning the final product. “And what do I use to anchor the veil?” she had asked as visions of the ugly tiara flashed through her head. Belle had grinned triumphantly. “There’s just the thing in the shop. It’s a pewter circlet of leaves. It’s very old and you can borrow it – then all you’ll need is something new and something blue.”

Regina had been hesitant to get too excited. “Can you really make all that in one day?”

“No problem! I just need to take a couple of measurements and then I’ll come round to your house tomorrow at noon for a final fitting,” Belle had proposed.

It had turned out even more gorgeous than Regina had imagined. Belle did incredible work. Instead of making simple straight hems, she had aligned the leaves with the edges of the dress and cut along the outline of the leaves. The veil had the same ‘cut-out’ edge. The sleeves fit closely but comfortably and came to a “V” on the backs of her hands with a small loop encircling her middle fingers to keep the V in place.  The pewter circlet was perfect for the veil. It was unobtrusive and a tribute to the man she was marrying. He stole from the rich to give to the poor – how hypocritical would it be to marry a woman covered in gems and the trappings of royalty?

There was a light tapping at the door and Henry’s voice called through. “Is it okay to come in?” Snow let him in.

He stood dumbstruck in the door. “Oh, Mom, you are so incredibly beautiful!” His eyes grew moist looking at her. She held her arms out to him and he rushed into them.

“And you are incredibly handsome!” she cried in return, kissing the top of his head. “I didn’t realize you were going to dress in the style of the other realm!” She held him at arm’s length so that she could look at him better. He was wearing a doublet and cape with fitted pants tucked into shiny black boots. All he lacked was a sword and he would have been the complete picture of a young knight.

Henry grinned. “We tried putting Robin in a tuxedo and it just didn’t work. Roland looked cute in whatever we put on him, but he liked this best and so did I.”

“So Robin is wearing a doublet and cape, too?” Regina asked.

Henry shook his head. “I’m not telling him what you’re wearing and I’m not telling you what he’s wearing – just wait and see for yourself!”

Regina laughed. “All right, sweetheart, have it your way. I suppose you’re here for this?” She held out her hand upon which sat King Richard’s signet ring.

“Yes, milady,” Henry said bowing. “I promise your beloved will return it to its proper place within the hour.” He slipped it from her finger and kissed her hand. “I’m supposed to pass it to Roland to just as you walk down the aisle. The poor kid’s so nervous we were afraid he might misplace it if we gave it to him earlier!”

There was another knock at the door and Tink stuck her head around. “Showtime, laddie! Your future dad and brother are ready to walk in the side to the altar.” Henry gave Regina one last hug then ran out, his cape fluttering rakishly from his shoulders.

Tink shook her head. “You’ve got two heartbreakers for sons, Regina!” She opened the door a bit wider. “Grab your bouquet, Snow, it’s almost time we waltzed down the aisle.” She looked over her shoulder and then back into the room. “Your escort is here to make sure you don’t run away, Regina!”

“Not this time, Tink, I promise!” Regina smiled. Snow and Tink hurried out and David stepped in after exchanging a quick kiss with his wife. David, too, had chosen a doublet to wear. It was quilted velvet of a very deep blue with a high collar and just a bit of crisp white frills around the neck and sleeves. His sword was polished to a high sheen and swung from a scabbard at his waist.

She quirked an eyebrow at him and nodded to the sword. “Expecting trouble?”

He grinned at her. “Let’s just say that I intend to ensure you get married today one way or another.” He picked up her bouquet of simple woodland flowers tied with a simple blue bow that Emma had bought that day – her way of showing Regina that her son’s other mother supported her. David held the bouquet out to Regina. “Shall we?”

“David,” she said, unmoving. “I’m getting married.”

“Yes, I know. It’s why we’re all dressed up.”

“In a church.”

“That is where we are,” he was starting to get a little perplexed.

“In front of God.”

He suddenly realized what she was getting at, and he was a little surprised. As far as he knew, Regina had never considered God much. Few of the people from the Enchanted Forest had, really, until they had come to Storybrooke. Christianity was something over in Nottingham and the Sherwood Forest. People in the Enchanted Forest married in halls or outdoors. Churches were rare, even if the concept of good and evil was common.

“God is not going to strike you dead for getting married in his church, Regina,” he said softly.

“No?” she said hesitantly, but taking his arm to walk out.

“No,” he said firmly and squeezed her hand, leading her to the doors to the chapel. “For one thing, I’m sure God adores Robin and he’d never hurt him that way on his wedding day.”

Regina looked daggers at David. “Gee, thanks for the comfort!”

“Don’t mention it,” he said grinning, just as the wedding march music began.

 

At the front of the church, Robin and his two groomsmen had just taken their places. He could see Snow and Tink at the edge of the rear doors, but he saw no sign of Regina. “What if she changes her mind?” he thought he had asked himself that inside his head, but apparently he said it out loud.

“Mama Gina loves me and Henry,” Roland proclaimed. “She won’t change her mind!”

Henry gave a nervous giggle. “Don’t worry, Robin, she loves you, too!” Robin rolled his eyes and was about to retort when the music began that ushered the bridesmaids down the aisle. He swallowed hard. This was it.

His first glimpse of her was obscured by the congregation. The soft oohs and aahs he heard from both the men and the women built his anticipation. And then, there she was. He barely noticed David, his gaze was so fixed on the vision in front of him.

Regina’s eyes were similarly fixed on him. He had chosen to wear what he would have if he had married as a knight in his own land. It was a light chain mail tunic with a white cloth draped over it emblazoned with the red cross of St. George. The chain mail hood had been pushed back to leave his head bare and from his waist hung the special sword with the lion emblem. Regina’s breath caught.   This was not something he wore as a costume.  These vestments as a knight meant the world to him.  So much so that when he gave up his title, he had secreted them away, never to be worn again.  Today, she had eschewed jewels and gilded accessories to pay homage to him as Robin Hood. And he, she swallowed hard before continuing her thought, he was showing everyone that he was re-accepting his title and role as Sir Robert, the Earl of Huntingdon, a knight and gentleman. A man who fully respected and accepted her as Queen Regina.

She placed her small hand in his and then turned to face Friar Tuck. Neither that day nor any day there ever after could either one of them tell you exactly what happened next. They remembered each other’s faces. The feeling of complete love. Then suddenly bursts of applause as they kissed. Witnesses later assured them that they had indeed recited their vows without faltering and that Robin had even managed to catch the ring Roland dropped before it hit the ground. Regina and Robin just took their word for it. All they remembered was bliss. And some dancing later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of pure fluff. Serious stuff ahead!


	11. Portals

Storybrooke

Noon had been the agreed departure time for the group traveling with the White Rabbit back to the Enchanted Forest. Since no portals could go directly between the two realms, there would be an interim stop in Wonderland where The White Rabbit would drop Will Scarlet (now the White King of Wonderland) after a lengthy entrepreneurial trip to Storybrooke.

As mayor, Regina had allotted an empty plot of land near the edge of town as the arrival and departure point for the White Rabbit’s portals. It seemed he had the ability to target his arrival point fairly precisely, but he just hadn’t been doing it – which meant the town had been sprouting ‘rabbit holes’ all over the place – in the middle of buildings, roads, sidewalks, anywhere. It had begun to be costly and disruptive until Regina had insisted on a specific arrival and departure area.

Informally dubbed ‘the train station,’ the area was pockmarked with large holes that at one moment had led to another realm and the next moment to nothing but dirt.

A line of vehicles were parked at the edge of the road as family and well-wishers gathered to bid farewell to the group heading out to support King Richard. Sir Guy and Robin were unloading bags from the back of Sir Guy’s elegant sedan.

“Married last night and hopping across realms today. Not much of a honeymoon, Sir Robert!” Guy teased Robin.

“With a baby on the way, Regina and I decided it was better not to delay going to the Enchanted Forest. We want to be back here and close to modern medicine for the majority of the pregnancy,” he explained.   “Besides, neither one of us could think of anything we’d rather do for the next few weeks than be with our sons as Roland spends time with his other family for the first time and as Henry is finally introduced to our realm.”

Sir Guy smiled as he dragged a bag full of clanking objects out of the trunk. “Marian and the children will be thrilled to see Roland. As for Henry,” Sir Guy paused as the young man in questions came running up, grabbed as many bags as he could and ran back to the marshalling area – a trip he’d already made at top speed twice. “Well, suffice it to say, he’s a tad excited.”

Robin barked a laugh as pulled out the last of the bags. “How many bags do you need, Regina?” he asked as she walked up with Roland.

“I’ll have you know that only two of those are mine – which, if I had my magic I wouldn’t need at all. The rest belong to you and the boys. All your toys take up at least three bags,” Regina said primly.

“It’s not toys!” Henry shouted as he ran up to carry another load. “It’s gear that knights need!”

“No toys?” Roland asked. “Not even my monkey?” His little voice quivered.

“Don’t worry, darling,” Regina soothed. “I’ve got your monkey right here.” She reached into a large tote bag next to Sir Guy’s feet and pulled out a large white teddy bear.

“Oops! You’ve got the wrong bag, that one’s mine. Here’s yours,” Sir Guy scooped the teddy bear neatly out of Regina’s hands and replaced it with the flying monkey.

Robin cocked an eyebrow at Sir Guy. “ _Your_ teddy bear?”

Sir Guy tucked the bear under one arm. “Yes. Care to make something of it?”

Robin raised his hands in surrender. “No, no, I suppose every knight needs a mascot.” He looked at the bags still around his feet.

“Are you SURE we need all this, Regina?” he asked again. She just shook her head at him, but he earned a laugh from David who was walking by at the time laden with bag after bag.

“That? That’s nothing!” he scoffed. “See this one?” He raised one large bag up. “It’s full of Snow’s shoes – and only shoes.”

Snow walked up behind him, Baby Neal in her arms. “Don’t listen to him! It’s only a few pairs of shoes, the rest is baby stuff.” She stopped in front of Regina, Robin and Sir Guy. “So how are you this morning, Mr. and Mrs. Locksley?”

Regina turned to Robin. “Are we?”

“Are we what?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Locksley.”

“I believe I saw you at the wedding yesterday.”

“Yes, but did we sign the certificate as Locksley?”

“Would you rather have been Mrs. Hood?”

“No…”

Sir Guy leaned down to whisper in Snow’s ear. “They do this all the time now. It’s rather entertaining to just stand and watch them go back and forth. It almost always ends with a…”

Robin leaned over and kissed Regina firmly on the mouth. “Mrs. Locksley.”

“…kiss,” Sir Guy finished. Snow smiled perkily. “It’s so wonderful to see everyone happy. You and Marian, Regina and Robin, Emma and Killian. Children and babies everywhere.” She let out a contented sigh.

Regina looked at her in horror. “What are you trying to do? Jinx us? Leaven that burbling optimism with at least a pinch of caution, please!”

Snow just laughed. “You need to learn how to be happy, Regina!”

Robin hugged Regina close. “I’ll help her with that.”

A large boom in the field caught everyone’s attention. The White Rabbit had arrived. Regina transferred Roland’s hand to Robin’s quickly and rushed over to Emma, who was giving Henry a final hug.

“Miss Swan!” Emma turned away after giving Henry a final “Be careful, kid. I love you!”

“Yes, Regina?” Emma asked. Regina pulled her to one side.

“You’ll watch Gold discreetly?”

Emma nodded. “Yes, Regina, I’ve already said I would.”

“I mean really discreetly, not what you used to think of as discreet when you used to trail me.”

“Hey! I was discreet back then! You were just hyper paranoid and magical.”

“And Gold isn’t?” Regina asked.

“Point taken. I’ll be careful.” She paused a moment. “I’m really happy for you and Robin, Regina. Truly. In a way I wish I was going with all of you, but someone’s got to take care of the town. And I know you’ll make sure Henry stays safe.”

“I will. And I know you’ll look after the town. You’ll have good help, too. I’ve appointed Rebecca as temporary city manager, a position I intend to make permanent if she does well while we’re gone. You can rely on her.”

Emma nodded. On impulse she reached out and hugged Regina. Regina gave her a couple of quick pats on the back then pushed away. She’d been learning to express her emotions more openly, but there were limits.

She turned her back on Emma and walked toward the man who was her future and the realm that was her past. When they spent those months in the Enchanted Forest before, it was in her castle, in her element. She knew he was aware of what she’d been when she had lived there before. Now it was time to show him, and the residents of the Enchanted Forest, what she could be.

She linked hands with Henry and Roland and prepared to follow the White Rabbit.

 

Wonderland

After the Rabbit, Will was first out of the hole, with Sir Guy close behind. Will ran straight to his Anastasia, scooping her up in his arms and delivering a sloppy kiss.

“Will! It’s only been two days!” she laughed.

“For you, maybe. For me it’s been weeks and I missed you!” he cried. She just smiled and kissed him. The growing number of people coming out of the hole distracted her, though.

“Will, who are our guests?” she asked politely.

“Oh, well, I think you know a few of them from our days in Sherwood. They’re on their way back to the Enchanted Forest to help King Richard.”

Ana’s eyes lit up. “King Richard has returned? He needs help? What can we do?”

Will laughed. “We’re doing it, darling. We’re giving safe passage courtesy of the Rabbit. And Sir Guy knows he can count on us for support if King Richard needs it.”

Ana’s beautiful eyes turned to Sir Guy. “Guy, you must bring Marian and the children to stay with us sometime, but most especially if you feel that things are becoming unsafe. We’ve plenty of room and we even half indoor plumbing now and a few hours each night of that invisible energy that turns dark into light.” Will mumbled beside her “It’s called electricity, love.” She ignored him. “I can use the company while Will is flitting back and forth between Storybrooke, anyway.”

Guy took her hands. “I assure you that we shall visit one day soon, but not because of any danger in Corona. Marian and the children are perfectly safe. No, we’ll visit purely for pleasure.” He kissed her hand in gratitude for the invitation. A movement to her right caught Ana’s attention. Regina had stepped forward.

Ana gasped. “You must be Regina! I have so long wanted to meet you.” She released her hands from Guy’s and approached Regina, leaning forward as if to deliver a cheek kiss. Instead she whispered, “One day, we shall have to compare experiences being mentored by your mother. Happily, we both survived.”

“Not only survived, but found true happiness,” Regina whispered back. Aloud she said. “It’s an honor to meet you, Queen Ana. Thank you for allowing our party to use your kingdom as a way station between realms.”

“The pleasure is truly ours. Because of you and Storybrooke, Wonderland is thriving and improving. I only wish that this were a longer visit.”

“We will certainly do so one day. And I hope that you will accompany your husband on one of his trips to Storybrooke.   We’ll welcome you with open arms,” Regina promised.

“I’d like that very much,” Ana affirmed. The White Rabbit coughed politely beside her.

“If everyone’s ready, I’ll create the portal to Corona Castle,” he said.

“Just one moment,” Sir Guy asked. “I need to catch up with the others.”

Regina’s brow furrowed. Catch up with the others? What did he mean? She turned and saw that David, Robin, and Mulan had donned their swords and accoutrements. The Merry Men and Grumpy and the other dwarves had likewise switched to more battle-ready gear.

“Are they expecting a fight on arrival?” Ana asked in concern. But Regina shook her head. She understood what was happening.

“No. They want to appear before King Richard as his knights and friends, not as strangers from another realm,” she explained. She looked down at her own practical pantsuit. Too complicated to change clothes fully, but she could switch out the suit jacket with a cape from her bag, much as she noticed Snow had done. She quickly made the change, finishing just as Sir Guy had finished sliding his sword into the scabbard. He gave a nod to the White Rabbit and they were soon waving goodbye to Will and Ana. Regina grabbed a hand of each of her sons (no way was she letting go of them as they traveled through realms) and stepped through the swirling portal with more confidence than she really felt.

 

The Enchanted Forest (Kingdom of Corona)

Once through the portal, Regina let go of Henry’s hand so that he could climb out of the hole in the ground first. She handed Roland up to him and then followed out herself. The knights had followed the White Rabbit through first, just in case of anything unexpected. The rabbit hole had appeared just outside the gates of Corona Castle and already people were rushing out to meet them, several of King Richard’s young knights in the forefront, ensuring that these were friends not foe.

Robin came back to Regina’s side to satisfy himself that she and the boys were through safely, and then the sight of his beloved King Richard drew his attention away.

He was a grown man and had seen many battles and terrible sights without a tremble, but the image of his friend, mentor, and leader, alive before him after all these years, turned his knees weak and his eyes filled with tears. He walked toward his king and passed one of the young knights, whose eyes had also filled with tears, but for a very different reason. As Robin strode forward with purpose, so did he. Robin’s objective was the King. The young knight’s objective lay behind Robin.

Regina was looking down at Roland who had become a bit upset by the two trips through portals. She didn’t see the man walking toward her. Henry did, almost too late, and cried a warning while leaping in front of his mother to protect her. The man brushed him aside as if he were nothing. An armored glove closed around Regina’s throat, while with his other hand he drew his sword and reared his arm back in order to run her through.


	12. Shock

The Enchanted Forest (Kingdom of Corona)

Regina didn’t see the young knight striding toward her as she was so completely focused on Roland. Henry’s cry was her first indication of danger and by then it was too late. She heard the scrape of steel against a scabbard and then felt an armored hand around her throat. She had enough presence of mind to push Roland behind her, to try to shield him a little. She knew there was no time for anyone to reach her and she had no magic with which to protect herself. If she tried to struggle, Roland or Henry could be hurt.

So she hung limply in the knight’s grip and looked up into his eyes. In the periphery of her vision, she saw his arm draw back and knew he was about to strike. Her eyes held his. They were young, no more than five or six years older than Henry.

“Not in front of my children, please,” she managed to rasp out. It was enough to make him pause and she saw his eyes soften a moment, then they grew hard and crazed.

“That never stopped you,” he hissed and he drew back his arm further to run her through. She heard Henry shout again and Roland screamed hysterically. She whispered, “I’m sorry” and closed her eyes, not to avoid seeing her last moment reflected in the knight’s eyes, but so that she wouldn’t have to glimpse the terror on her sons’ faces. Her apology was as much for them as it was for the knight. Her horrible deeds had obviously shattered the young knight and now Henry and Roland would bare scars for life because of her. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she heard Roland scream “Mama!,” felt a sharp pain, and then she heard no more.

 

Robin was just about to kneel before King Richard when he heard first Henry shout and then Roland scream in abject terror. He had never heard that before and it made his heart nearly stop. He spun in place, drawing his sword by instinct. There he saw the knight who had walked by him reach toward Regina’s throat. Henry was sprawled on the ground nearby and Roland was shielded behind Regina. Robin sprinted toward the scene, watching in horror as the knight drew his sword arm back. Robin screamed to the other men for assistance, but no one was close enough. David was still back at the rabbit hole, holding his baby son in his arms and helping his wife climb out of the portal.

Sir Guy was beside Robin, also running as fast as he could, but it was just too far. Robin saw the knight’s arm pause and then move again to strike, only to pause once more. He was so close he could see Regina close her eyes and he knew he was too late as blood splattered in all directions. He roared in a terrible voice, grabbing the young knight by the shoulders and tossing him to one side.

 

Snow had just passed Baby Neal up to David so that she could climb out of the rabbit hole. She unslung her bow and quiver from her shoulder and tossed it up onto the ground’s edge so that she could haul herself up over the edge. As her eyes cleared ground level, she saw Robin walking quickly up to an older man who could only be King Richard. A young knight strode purposefully past Robin.

Something about the way the young man stared at Regina unnerved Snow. She rested on the edge of the portal opening and, without taking her eyes from the knight, Snow grabbed her bow. She heard Henry’s shout and watched in rage as the knight knocked her grandson roughly to one side. In the next instant, the knight had drawn his sword, grabbed Regina’s throat, and was preparing to strike. From her vantage point she could see little Roland run from behind Regina and begin hitting at the legs of the knight to no avail.

Snow grabbed an arrow from her quiver, but knew she wouldn’t be fast enough. Then she saw the knight pause. It was enough time to nock an arrow and take aim, but perhaps it wouldn’t be necessary now. Then the knight drew back his arm to continue his initial thrust. She had no clear shot -- Regina was in the way -- but she had no choice. She let the arrow fly and in the next instant saw blood explode from Regina’s head and the knight went flying, shoved aside by Robin.

Snow clutched a hand to her chest and began sobbing.

 

By some miracle, Regina was still standing when Robin reached her. Her face and upper body was drenched in blood, but there was no wound to her abdomen where the sword would have pierced.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. She opened her eyes.

“Regina! Are you all right? Where are you hurt?”

Regina just blinked and stared. She saw his mouth moving but heard no words. His hand touched her face and came away covered in blood. She looked down at herself and saw even more blood. Of course there was blood, she thought, because that’s who she was. What she had caused in her life. She could wash it off her skin and clothes, but the blood of all the people she had killed would always be there.

As if from a distance, she saw Sir Guy grasp Robin’s shoulder and point toward the young knight on the ground. Guy’s lips moved but she heard nothing. Her eyes followed his gesture and she saw Henry holding Roland, keeping the toddler’s head from view of the fallen knight, while Henry stared glassy-eyed at the arrow that protruded from her attacker’s lifeless throat.

 

Sir Guy turned back to Robin. “He’s dead. There’s no more threat there. I think the arrow caught the side of Regina’s head. She’s wounded and in shock, but she’ll be fine,” he paused, taking in Robin’s own state of shock. “Roland and Henry need you. I’ll carry Regina to the castle and get help for her.”

Robin nodded sharply, pausing only long enough to kiss the uninjured side of Regina’s head, and then going to his children’s side, wrapping an arm around Henry’s shoulders and picking Roland up. He had to get them away from the blood and death. Snow and David rushed up, the bow still in Snow’s hands. Robin looked into her eyes and mouthed ‘thank you.’ She nodded, but was clearly horrified by what she had done.

Sir Guy swung Regina up into his arms and turned to address Snow. “You had to do it, Princess,” he said. “There was no choice.”

“I know,” she nodded, “but I hit Regina.” Her eyes filled with tears.

Sir Guy shook his head. “Barely. That madman’s armored glove has done more damage to her throat than your arrow did to her head. It was a magnificent shot. Regina will be fine.” He turned and strode off to the castle with his burden.

Henry ran from Robin’s side and wrapped his arms around Snow, crying. She hugged him back.

“Your mom’s going to be fine, Henry,” she comforted. “We’ll follow Sir Guy and help take care of her, okay?” He nodded and turned to follow Guy.

Roland was still crying pitiably in his father’s arms. “Shh, lad, your Mama Gina is going to be just fine.”

The boy hiccupped and looked into his father’s eyes. “Promise?”

“I promise. We’ll go see her right now.” As Robin looked down at his son, he noticed that the white cloth that covered his chain mail had a small, bloody, handprint upon it. “Boy, are you hurt? Let me see your hand!”

Roland showed his father his hands. They were scratched and bloody. "I tried to make the bad man stop hurting Mama, but his legs were sharp,” he explained. Robin sucked in a breath and hugged his son tight. The chain mail. The little boy had tried to protect his stepmother by striking the knight’s chain mail covered legs and earned deep scratches across his palms. He kissed Roland’s head. “We’ll get your hands bandaged and then we’ll visit Regina. You are a brave, brave boy and I love you very much.”

 

King Richard watched in silence as Sir Guy and Sir Robert carried the injured Regina and small Roland into the castle. Joy had turned so quickly into sorrow. His eyes turned to the patch of green where the knight lay dead. His name was Winston and he was the youngest of the group. Unlike the others, his family was not from Nottingham and had not been in the King’s service. Winston never spoke of his parents other than to say that they had died during the war to unseat the Evil Queen. He had spent the years of the curse in the pocket of the Enchanted Forest that had been protected from going to the other realm.

“Did anyone know…?” the King left his question unfinished as he turned to Cedric, the captain of his young knights.

“No, sire. He never voiced any animosity toward the Queen, unlike others among us. He had only said his parents had died in the war, he did not say on which side they had fought,” Cedric sighed. “This is my fault, Your Majesty. I should have known more about him, asked more questions. I knew that it was odd that someone not from our home would fight so fiercely, but we needed good fighters and I told myself that he was with us because our cause was just.”

“It was not your fault, Cedric. Clearly Winston was deeply troubled, yet none of us saw that. We must all bear some of the shame for failing him by not noticing,” he paused a moment, returning his gaze to the body. “Go, gather some of our men and collect his body. We will say a mass for his soul tonight.”


	13. The First Hours

Marian met Sir Guy just inside the main gate of the castle. “Is Roland all right?” she cried.

“He’s fine,” he assured his wife, “He and Robin are just behind me.”

She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer of relief. “We – the King and Queen of Corona and I – saw it all from the parapet.   The Queen asked me to guide you and Regina to her suites. The Court Physician will meet us there.”

“I know the way,” Guy replied, “but Robin will need your help to get there. Go to him. I love you.” As tall as he was, and carrying Regina, he could not bend over and kiss his beloved as would have liked, but he could tell she understood. She squeezed his arm and then ran to meet her son and former husband.

 

The King of Corona met the rest of the shocked group of travelers in the courtyard. “I deeply apologize, my friends, for the tragic beginning to your stay,” he said. “I promise you that you are safe within my castle, with the people of Corona, and I will seek King Richard’s assurances immediately that nothing of the like of today shall occur again.” He was a quiet and affable man, but the outrage was clear in his eyes.

He gestured the steward of the house forward. “This is my steward, William, he and the household staff will show you to your rooms. Prince James, Princess Snow, I’m sure you will want to go to Queen Regina. The Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting, Sarah, will take you to her and William will see to your things.”

David and Snow bowed briefly and thanked him sincerely before shepherding Henry off to see his mother.

 

Regina was still experiencing life in a haze, but sound was at least beginning to return to her ears. She listened only vaguely.

“The arrow grazed the side of her head and temple. I‘ve bandaged it tightly, but it will heal without lasting damage. Only a small scar,” the physician said. “Her neck is another matter. Her larynx was badly damaged as well as her throat. Only time will tell how well she will recover. For now, no talking and only liquids for food.” He looked from Robin to Snow and David to make sure they understood his orders.

Sir Guy entered Regina’s line of sight. “No talking? She’ll die of frustration!” He followed his comment with a wide grin. Regina just stared at him dully, giving no indication that she had even heard him. His smile faded. Too soon for teasing. Regina closed her eyes, wanting to block the world out. She wasn’t ready. The physician shooed everyone out of the room so that Regina could rest.

She felt a warm breath on her brow. “I’m going to go make sure our boys are all right. Marian and Sir Guy will keep Roland with them and Henry is rooming with David and Snow. I didn’t want him in a room alone tonight. After I’ve seen to them and paid a call on our hosts to thank them, I’ll be back here to stay with you,” Robin said. He gulped hard. “Thank God you’re still with me. I thought I was going to lose you. I promise never to leave you so unprotected again.” He kissed her head gently then left.

On the other side of the door stood King Richard. Robin looked back over his shoulder at Regina and closed the door behind him.

“Your Majesty,” he said stiffly, bending to one knee.

“Rise, Sir Robert, please,” the King said. “It is I who should kneel to you and beg forgiveness.”

“Unless you knew what your knight planned to do, then you have no reason to beg forgiveness, Sire,” Robin said stiffly.

“I swear I did not. Nor did any of my other men. It is true that some voiced animosity toward Queen Regina, but young Winston never did. And those among my men who did speak harshly of her did so based on tales of deeds done to others rather than their own experience. Only Winston had a personal grievance and we learned of that only through his deeds today. All we knew was that his parents had died in the war between the Queen and the Prince and Princess,” King Richard sighed. “And for that, I apologize. I should have known my men better. There was a time, long ago, when I knew the hearts of all my knights and they knew mine. There were no secrets among us. No burden went unshared.” The King’s eyes grew moist. “I failed you and your family today, Sir Robert, and I failed my men. I was so intent on restoring my kingdom that I lost sight of what made that kingdom worth saving.”

Robin’s face softened. “Sire, you blame yourself too much. Something you have in common with my beloved wife,” he said wryly. “The man’s actions were his own, although I have no doubt that he or his family suffered horribly at the Evil Queen’s hands. Tragic and horrible events beyond her control led Regina into a life of revenge and hate, but she is the first to admit that her actions were her own, regardless of all the manipulation she received.” Robin paused and swallowed hard.

“Every day she fights to be good and do the right thing. At first, it was to be worthy of her son’s love and now it is that as well as for her own sake. I am proud of her and my heart hurts for her all at the same time as I watch her struggle every day.”

“It is easier to be good when all you’ve known is goodness. One of the tenants of our faith that is difficult for many to understand is that the blackest hearted of us all, if truly redeemed, shall have the same place in heaven as one who has led a life of only purity,” the King intoned.

Robin nodded. “I hope you will share that with Regina when she is better.” He sighed, his mind going back to the terrible events of the day. “I’m afraid today will set her back,” he said. “It is proof that she will never be completely safe or completely forgiven by some of the people she hurt. We’ve all suspected this. It’s why we have a bodyguard for her where she works and we always try to have someone around to protect her, especially now that her magic is gone. After this attack, I’m afraid she’s going to distance herself from her family in order to keep us safe.” Robin looked immensely sad.

King Richard placed his hands on Robin’s shoulders. “Sir Robert, do not underestimate the power of love, faith, and perseverance. These are the key to salvation and you have all of them in abundance. If you ever should doubt or falter, I am here to help you renew your strength.”

Robin said nothing but clasped his King’s shoulders in return in thanks.

 

Many hours later, Regina began to finally emerge from a deep, dreamless sleep thanks to the herbs the physician had given her. She felt warmth and weight upon her chest, stomach, knees and ankles -- a comfortable feeling, though, like a hot water bottles on a cold night.

Her eyelids lifted and she gazed toward her chest to see Robin’s resting there peacefully. She reached out and smoothed his hair. His eyes opened instantly and smile streaked across his face.

“Good morning, m’lady,” he said softly. She tried to say good morning back, but her throat hurt too much to comply. He placed one finger against her lips. “Don’t try to speak. The doctor said to rest your throat for a few days until it can heal.” She nodded, and gave a small kiss to his finger before he pulled it away. A yawn and movement around her stomach caught her attention. Roland’s head popped up above his father’s.

“Mama Gina! You’re awake! I love you!” He rushed the words together as if he’s been waiting to say them a long time. He scrambled up the bed to give her a hug. The weight across Regina’s knees lifted and turned out to be Henry who had fallen asleep draped across her legs.

“Mom!” Henry scrambled across Robin to hug Regina from the other side. Robin scooted to one side to give her boys room. Once he moved out of the way, Regina could see a pair of ankles dropped across hers at the bottom of the bed. Who?, Regina thought to herself. The ankles shifted and Snow’s head popped up from the bottom of the bed with a huge grin.

“Regina! I hope you don’t mind that we’ve all been using you as a pillow,” she said smiling a little shyly, almost embarrassed. Regina shook her head to say it was okay and then raised her eyebrows quizzically at Snow. Snow blushed slightly and shrugged, but it was a voice from the corner of the room who answered Regina’s raised eyebrows with an explanation.

“If you’re wondering why your stepdaughter is racked out on your bed instead of taking care of her husband and baby, it’s because she couldn’t sleep a wink because of how worried she was about you,” David said from a comfy chair a few feet away, Baby Neal fast asleep in his arms. “She’ll try to tell you it was because she came to keep Henry company when he came to tell us that he wanted to come spend the night with you, but the truth is, she was about to come over on her own.”

Snow nodded a sheepish admission.

Roland piped up then. “And I wanted to be with you, too, so I asked Mama and Daddy Guy to bring me here. Daddy said it was okay to sleep with my head on the baby so that the baby would know big brother was here.” He was too cute not to get an especially big hug from Regina, even though the arm that held him felt sapped of energy.

“Mom?” Henry attracted her attention in a voice barely above a whisper near her ear. “We’re here because we all love you so much and we needed to be able to touch you and feel that you’re all right. And don’t go getting any crazy ideas like you’re going to leave us for our own protection, because YOU are our protection and we are yours. We’re all in this together and we will stay together.” Regina felt like crying, but she covered it by hugging Henry and then raising her eyebrows and looking at the assorted company around the bed. Henry laughed. “Okay, so maybe we will not ALL sleep on your bed every night, but don’t expect to ever be lonely!”

“Did someone say something about being lonely?” Sir Guy was standing in the doorway with Marian at his side. Two small swirls of energy swept past them and leapt onto the bed. “’Gina! ‘Gina!” the two cried.

“Regina, I believe you know my children, Mayhem and Chaos,” Sir Guy said.

“Peter and Priscilla, Daddy, and of course, she knows us! She used to play with us last year when we lived in her castle!” the little girl said before planting a kiss on Regina’s bandaged brow.

Marian clapped her hands, but not too loudly in case the noise hurt Regina’s head. “That’s enough all of you. Give Regina some space. Everyone I gave birth to off the bed now. You can visit with Regina without sitting on her.”

The three smallest moved off the bed, protesting as they went. Robin tapped Henry on the shoulder and motioned him to scoot off the bed as well. Snow was still sitting curled up near Regina’s feet, looking uncomfortable and reluctant to move.

Marian smiled at her. “Snow, what’s wrong, dear?” Snow just looked even more uncomfortable.

Roland tugged on his mother’s sleeve and in one of those very loud whispers that children think no one else can hear, told her, “Aunt Snow feels really bad because she almost killed Mama Gina when she saved her from the bad man.”

Regina looked at Snow in surprise. Everything had happened so quickly. One minute she was being choked and then next her head had exploded in pain and an arrow was protruding from the knight’s neck. She hadn’t known who had shot the arrow. Snow’s eyes filled with tears and suddenly she lunged down the bed and into Regina’s arms.

“I’m so sorry! I couldn’t get a clear shot and he was about to kill you. So I loosed the arrow and when it hit your head and there was so much blood I was sure I had killed you. I don’t want you to die, Regina,” she cried. It felt very strange to Regina to do so, but she put her arms around Snow and squeezed gently. It was if all the decades of animosity melted away in that moment and Snow was the frightened little girl Regina had saved whose horse had spooked. Regina looked at the dark haired woman with her head resting just below Regina’s shoulder. It was a good thing she had no voice, she thought to herself, if she had been able to speak, she was sure it would have trembled and betrayed her. Instead, she leaned down and kissed the top of Snow’s head as she would Henry or Roland. Snow sat up and wiped her tears away. “I’m glad you’re going to be okay, Regina. And I’m sorry we’re dumping all this emotion on you when you can’t even speak. I’ll find something you can write on so you can keep us all in line.”

She scrambled off the bed and went to take Baby Neal from David. He stood and stretched from the chair where he had spent most of the night. “I think we could all use some breakfast, and Regina and Robin some time alone. We’ll bring you both some food.”

Robin sat on the edge of the bed as the door closed behind the group. He smiled at Regina. “You know I think I might enjoy this whole ‘you-can’t-talk’ thing.’ I can say whatever I like to you and you can’t protest.” Regina tried to glare at him but it made her head hurt more. She pouted instead. “Oh, I see you’ve been studying pitiful looks from Roland,” Robin said. He leaned over and kissed her protruding bottom lip.   “As soon as we can get you something to write with, I want to hear how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking.” Regina didn’t need a pen and paper to do that. She pulled Robin’s head down to hers and kissed him deeply.


	14. Coeur de Lion

The news that Regina was awake and recovering, albeit a mute with a bad headache for now, lightened the mood of the King and Queen of Corona greatly and the breakfast table was a jovial reflection of that relief. Even King Richard’s men, though troubled and saddened by the actions and death of their comrade, felt their hearts lighten at the news that this was a single tragedy, and not a triple. Even those whose dispositions were somewhat hardened to Regina as the Evil Queen could not have been more thankful that she had survived once they heard that not only was she Sir Robert’s soul mate, but also the mother of his unborn child.

 

King Richard, a veteran of many wars and the observer of too many deaths and too few survivors, knew that the relief would soon turn to other emotions for the travelers from Storybrooke, and in some cases, for his men as well. Though his knights were battle hardened as well, they were still young and had not yet realized that there were emotional stages involved in death and tragedy. Heretofore, when they had been faced by death it was in the midst of battle and there was always an immediate crisis or battle tactic that needed attention. There wasn’t time to deal. Now, in the safety of this castle, there was time to think and to feel, and it wasn’t just Winston’s death that would face them.

 

He looked around the table at the Storybrooke visitors -- all strong and good people, from the Prince and Princess to the dwarves, the Merry Men, and even the children. But they, too, would see the relief slip away into anger and guilt. His eyes moved to the Princess whose superb archery had felled the knight but saved her stepmother. And then to young Roland, so much like his father, who had tried to protect Regina. The person though, that King Richard thought would hurt most of all, was Henry. Old enough to feel he should have been more prepared to defend his mother and yet still too young to have the strength or skills to do so. But was he? In his land, maybe not. But in this land, many a young teen had to know how to fend for himself.   They had to be able to recover quickly from getting knocked over by a larger foe and still rush back into the fight. Henry hadn’t been able to do that when his mother was attacked. King Richard wondered how protected his upbringing had been and whether in this Storybrooke young boys engaged in the rough and tumble activities, and yes, even fights, that were the preparation boys in this land had for their sometimes dangerous lives. The King made a mental note to find out and to speak with Cedric about one of the youngest of the knights perhaps befriending the boy.

 

The King’s attention was caught by Princess Snow and Prince James (who, it seemed, was really named David, but also called ‘Charming’?) talking about taking breakfast up to Regina and Robin (Robert, in the King’s mind). They also wanted to find something with which the injured lady could write, since she was without voice.

“Please, Princess, allow me to do that,” the King offered. “I have just the thing that I found in my travels. It’s a type of compressed mineral that you can use to write upon slate and then erase the lettering with a cloth. So much easier to use than scrolls of paper and an inkwell if one is lying in bed.”

The Princess brightened immediately. “Chalk! That’s perfect!”

“I will take it and some suitable food to the Princess Regina now and allow Sir Robert some time to come down and breakfast with his family,” he said.

The Queen of Corona motioned for a servant and gave her instructions for a tray of food suitable for Regina’s condition. One of the King’s men went to his rooms to fetch the slate and chalk. In the meantime, Henry looked at King Richard quizzically (and a great deal of awe, truth to be told.)

“Excuse me, your highness, I’m afraid I’m still learning the etiquette of titles,” he began hesitantly, but gained confidence as he saw the King’s kind look. “But back in Storybrooke, people referred to my mother as ‘the Queen,’ or ‘Queen Regina’ but I’ve heard you refer to her as Princess Regina. Is it because you are the more senior monarch or for some other reason of protocol?”

“A good and logical question, Prince Henry,” he replied. Henry’s chest swelled with the compliment. “I refer to your mother as Princess Regina because now that she has married Sir Robert, she is no longer the dowager Queen. You see, she carried the title of Queen by virtue of her marriage as a princess to a King. When he died, she retained the title only if she remained unmarried or if she married another King, although in some realms, she would still be called Queen as an ancient courtesy. Sir Robert is the best man I have ever known, but he is a knight and an earl. Therefore, your mother would be called princess as that is the higher title than countess, which is the title she would have as the wife of the Earl of Huntingdon.”

The Queen of Corona joined in. “Aren’t customs and protocols fascinating? I believe in the Enchanted Forest we still follow the old courtesy of referring to a remarried dowager as Queen, but I suppose Regina will be able to choose which of the three titles she wishes to use. And, with her marriage to Sir Robert, the way is absolutely clear now for a coronation for you, dear Princess Snow, to Queen! I know last year you avoided any talk of that out of respect for Regina, but now there’s no reason not to,” the Queen’s eyes lit up at the thought of a coronation ball right here in Corona. The castle hadn’t seen a really stupendous ball in a long time!

Snow was in shock. Her two worlds crashed together – chalkboards and teaching rammed straight into crowns and thrones. Fortunately, Neal began to demand his own breakfast and the food tray and writing utensils were gathered for King Richard to take to Queen/Princess/Countess Regina.

“I suggest we leave discussion of coronations and which title our injured friend will use for when she is healthier and life has settled down again,” he turned to his host and hostess. “My friends, your majesties, thank you for this lovely repast. I beg my leave of you now so that I may see to your other royal guest.”

 

At the door to Regina’s chambers, King Richard knocked and then took the pouch with the chalk and slate from his aide and the tray of food from Corona’s maidservant, dismissing them both.

Robin opened the door, shocked to see his liege standing like an errand boy with his hands full. “Sire! Please, come in, let me take that from you.” Robin took the tray and sat it next to Regina on the bed.

“Thank you, Sir Robert. This breakfast, suitable for an injured throat, was personally selected by our hostess, the Queen. I thought I would bring it myself and allow you some time to eat with your family and our hosts. I have brought something for your beloved to write upon and I’m looking forward to getting acquainted.” The King’s words were polite and kind, but Robin knew a dismissal when he heard one. Although, even from his king, he would not obey it if Regina did not desire it be so.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he bowed and then sat beside Regina, leaning close so that his King could, hopefully, not hear. “Is it all right if I leave you with King Richard for a little while my love? I promise I won’t be long.” She inhaled deeply, then nodded yes. She wasn’t sure what the King wanted. Robin had told her that Richard had apologized for his man’s actions, but if the positions were reversed, she would not be of the same temperament.

Robin kissed her head just above the bandage and bid goodbye to his King.

King Richard drew a chair close to the bed and began to extract the chalk and slate from the bag.

“Your Highness, may I have your permission to call you Regina?” he asked. She nodded yes. “It is not too presumptuous?” She shook her head no. He gave a kind, almost fatherly smile.

“I suppose if I keep our conversation to yes and no answers, we shall have no need of this,” he passed the chalk and slate to her. “But I think you have much more in your head and your heart than one word answers.”

Regina smiled feebly. She looked at the blank slate in her hands and wondered what she could possibly write. Royal etiquette would dictate a polite phrase of welcome and thanks, but that wasn’t what was burning to get out of her. She wrote quickly, but then was slow to turn the board around so that the king could see it, as if the longer she held it out of his view, the longer there may be a chance that the truth of the words would change. She finally turned the board to face him.

In the very educated, elegant lettering she had learned in her youth, Regina had written, “I killed his parents in front of him.”

King Richard looked directly into Regina’s eyes. “You are a changed person.”

Regina wiped the board and wrote again. “No matter what good I do, I will always be that person.” Before she turned it back around, she took the signet ring off her hand, placed it on the slate, and passed both to the King. He read the words, but would not take the ring.

“No, Regina. I gave that ring to Sir Robert as a sign of my friendship to both of you and as a promise that I will support you on your new path. You have not diverged from that new path and I will not diverge from my promise,” he paused a moment. “It is God’s responsibility to judge where you shall spend eternity. It is my duty, as your friend, to help you in making sure that He has but one option. Scripture tells us that the Holy Father will welcome the repentant. The scales used in Heaven are different than those used among men. Men weigh each sin against each recompense, haggling whether one was enough for the other. God puts all of our sins on one side of the scale and yet a single true redemption on the other side outweighs everything and opens the doors of heaven.”

In another time, another place, Regina would have mocked the King for a fool, but now, faced with the enormous evil that she had done, along with the memory of waking up just an hour earlier draped with people who loved her – loved HER knowing all about her – she found nothing foolish in his words. She wasn’t prepared to concede to hope quite yet, though.

“We live in the world of men, not heaven. Your knight was just one of too, too many,” she wrote.

The King nodded. “That is true, but you are surrounded by people who would do anything to protect you. And there are more out there who would do the same,” he took her hand when she looked at him in surprise. “Regina, do you not realize how very precious you are? It is more than just that you have family and friends who love you. You are a symbol of hope now. The darkest of hearts has turned to goodness and light – what better symbol of hope for every person who feels in need of redemption? You are a beacon for all lost souls. Each step you take on this new path makes your light shine brighter. You just have to have faith that even though some will never forgive you, that God forgives you and that it is possible to one day forgive yourself. That day, the day you forgive yourself, is the day you will shine brightest of all.”

Regina couldn’t help herself then. The tears flowed freely and she gripped both of his hands in her own. She felt comforted, as if it were her own father sitting there, although no two men could have been more different. In her mind, King Richard’s last few words had been in her father’s voice.

The King bent over and kissed both her hands then let them go so that he could slide the signet ring back on.

“There now, we can’t have Sir Robert come back and see that off your finger. He might accuse me of trying to steal his young bride away!” He smiled again, kindly.

Regina smiled weakly back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Now then, let’s see what our beautiful and gracious hostess selected for your breakfast,” he lifted the lid off the tray. “Aahh! Mush and goat’s milk! A wonderful choice for the throat and constitution.” He leaned over then and whispered. “But not so great for the taste buds! Good thing I thought to nick some of this,” he reached into his robes and pulled out a stoppered bottle. “Fresh honey! Makes any convalescent food a royal feast!”

Regina had to give a little inner giggle at the thought of the oh-so-proper King Richard ‘nicking’ anything! She looked at the bowl of mush now crowned with a thick layer of honey. She WAS rather hungry, and it really wouldn’t do to have Robin come back and see she hadn’t eaten anything. For his sake then, a few bites.

King Richard leaned back in his chair. “Now then, while you’re eating, let me entertain you with a few stories of your new husband when he was but a young boy. I first met him when he was accompanying his father on business to the castle. He wasn’t much older than young Roland then and had no business being up late at night. But he was curious about the discussions of the knights, and a bit hungry as well, so he creeped out of his room and hid under the cloth covering the banquet table. I was standing at the corner, just about to pick up a lovely apple with the tip of my dagger, when I saw a little hand reach out from under the table and search across it, obviously in search of the same prize as I. I am ashamed to say that I played a game on the little man and each time his fingers touched an apple, I rolled it a little farther away. The noises of frustration that came from under the table skirt were most entertaining…”

Regina really did giggle aloud then, although it hurt her throat terribly, and she was grateful for the honey to soothe it.  She looked through her eyelashes at the man known as "coeur de lion", the lion-hearted.  This was the man who had won allegiance from men like her husband and Sir Guy. A man who had led armies into battle and killed with skill and ferocity.  A man of honor, might, and true majesty.  And yet, a man of gentleness and understanding.  As the Evil Queen, she had commanded respect and fear because of her magic.  He had no magic, but commanded all of her respect in just their first, brief conversation.


	15. Watching

As Robin pushed the door to his chambers, the sound that came through struck fear in the pit of his stomach. He realized his worst nightmare about this trip had come true – King Richard was regaling Regina with tales of his childhood. He felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder from behind as he hesitated.

“Be brave, man,” Sir Guy said behind him. “King Richard did the same with Marian when he first arrived here. Completely ruined her image of me as the perfect youth.”

Robin looked up at the taller man with a sarcastic rise of the eyebrows.

Sir Guy just grinned back. “Yes, I know, you knew me then, too, but our wives shouldn’t know such things about us, should they?”

Robin nodded in agreement, “Too right.”

“Best to get it over with before another word is said in there,” Sir Guy shoved Robin into the room.

The smile on Regina’s face was young and carefree. Robin thought perhaps it was worth the humiliation to see her so happy. Or maybe not, when he realized the story his King was just beginning was about 12-year-old Robin’s antics in trying to catch the eye of a young girl.

“Sire! Please! Leave me some secrets!” Robin pleaded.

The gray-bearded monarch looked over his shoulder with a twinkle in his eye. “One should have no secrets from one’s wife, my dear Sir Robert,” he said.

“I agree, Sire, but it should be the husband who tells those secrets,” Robin said, inclining his head to his elder. Regina was scratching away frantically on her slate and turned it around, tapping it with the chalk to gain the attention of the men.

It read, “No! Don’t stop! The stories are so cute!” The word cute had been underlined three times. Robin groaned. Regina looked at him and batted her eyes in mock innocence.

Sir Guy guffawed loudly. “Your bride is still a _little_ evil, Sir Robert!”

Robin shook his head and sighed. “Impish at times, but not even a little evil. I believe the epithet her stepson uses is ‘ornery.’” He shook his finger at his beloved. “If you can’t use your chalk for good, don’t use it at all!” She just smiled sweetly at him, but then a sudden pain crossed her eyes and she raised a hand to her bandaged head.

King Richard looked at her with concern. “I fear I have exhausted the dear lady with my rambling conversation and I daresay it is time for another dose of the healing elixir the physician prescribed,” he said. Regina reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking her head. Robin and Sir Guy were shocked – Regina was usually much more reserved.

The King laughed softly and patted her hand. “With your permission, my dear lady, I will visit you again soon.” She nodded consent and King Richard transferred her hand to Robin’s and rose from his chair.

“My good, dear, knights, when our friend is better, I would like to discuss my proposal to train my men. King George and Prince John are consolidating their forces and I have great concern for the people of our land.”

Robin and Sir Guy bowed to the King and responded simultaneously with a “yes, sire.”

After the door closed behind the King, Sir Guy turned to Regina. “I suppose I should take my leave and let you rest as well. Take care, dearest Regina, and rest assured that I and my family will make sure that Roland is well looked after and visits you often.” He bent over and kissed the top of her head. He bowed to Robin and let himself out.

Robin settled himself beside Regina and poured out her medicine. She made a face as she drank it. He recalled a movie he and Roland had watched with Regina one evening and smiled. “I suppose we should get you a spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down.” Regina cocked and eyebrow at him and he had a sudden thought.

“I just had a thought, you don’t suppose that there’s a realm where Mary Poppins is real, do you?” And if so, he continued in an internal conversation, would she be a nice nanny or an evil nanny? Would she still sing all the time, if so?

Regina, as if she could read his mind, just shook her head at him.

He changed topic. “We do have to discuss something, Regina,” he said rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. “I think we should take you back to Storybrooke and let Dr. Whale look you over with all of his amazing equipment. You’ve already had a rough start to this pregnancy and I think we should be extra careful.”

Under ordinary circumstances, Regina would have argued, but she was worried about this new life she carried, too. Dr. Whale had given her the all-clear for a couple of portal jumps and supplied her with several weeks worth of neo-natal vitamins, but a traumatic experience hadn’t been in the plan.

She nodded in agreement to Robin and retrieved her hand from his so that she could write on her slate. “Agreed, but in a few days after more rest.”

“Agreed,” he said. “Now, I think it’s time for your mid-morning nap. I’ll be back in a little while after I check on our boys.” He kissed her forehead and left. Just outside the door he nearly ran over Grumpy/Leroy carrying an ugly axe.

“Leroy! Have you come to see Regina? With an axe?” he asked a little uncertainly.

“No, dumbass! I’m guarding her door!” Robin might have taken exception to the first part of the sentence if it hadn’t, in that moment, been true.

“Of course, I don’t know what I was thinking. Thank you for watching over her,” Robin said.

Leroy frowned deeply and said gruffly, “You shouldn’t thank me. If I’d been looking after her better in the first place she wouldn’t be lying in there. I’m supposed to be her bodyguard.”

Robin put a kindly hand on the dwarf’s shoulder. “In Storybrooke, you’re the Mayor’s bodyguard. We never expected you to have to take on that role here in Corona.”

“Well, I am. And my brothers will take shifts with me,” he said with an almost belligerent voice. “The King of Corona has men posted at each end of this hall and King Richard has people on the parapet above this room and in the courtyard below. We’ll make sure she’s safe.”

Robin looked down the corridor to see a guard in the colors of the kingdom half-concealed in a doorway. He caught the man’s eye and nodded his thanks to him. The guard hesitated a moment and then bowed his head in return. He wasn’t used to being thanked or acknowledged for doing his duty.

\---------

Through the course of the day, the guard at the end of the corridor -- the man Robin had acknowledged – watched a steady stream of guests enter the Evil Queen’s room. He couldn’t help but think of her as that, no matter what his master and mistress, the King and Queen of Corona thought. This was the woman who had killed his son, his only child. She was the cause of his wife’s suicide at the loss of that son.

Once, when it first happened, he hadn’t really blamed the Queen. His son had been a guard in her dungeon and he had let not one, but two prisoners escape. One had been the self-same Marian who now resided in these walls. The other was a Princess Leia, although he never came to hear of which Kingdom she hailed, and she was never heard of again. They were important enough prisoners that the Queen had ordered the responsible guard’s execution. Not the punishment that his own King would have meted out in Corona, but not an unreasonable one by the standards of this realm, especially when they had simply sneaked out from under his nose without using any magic. No, at first he hadn’t blamed the Queen. He had blamed himself for not raising a sharper witted son. Just because the prisoners were female didn’t mean they couldn’t escape.

His wife, on the other hand, had blamed the Evil Queen right away. Only later did she blame him. In some ways, he felt her suicide had been his wife’s way of punishing him. Her death had altered his mind and spirit in a way that his son's had not.  He had felt great pain and suffering over his son, but his wife's death twisted his very soul and left him utterly alone.

That’s when he began to blame the Queen. That’s when he began to quietly collect accounts of her atrocities. He had even learned to write (he learned to read as a young man, but hadn’t bothered to learn to write), so that he could record on parchment each and every story. He even tried to do it properly – not recording a story unless it could be corroborated by a witness, first hand. He often traveled as a guard for the royal family and it gave him the opportunity to collect evidence far and wide. He had filled many parchments and they were secreted away in a trunk under the floor of the cottage in which his little family had lived.

His original intent had been to turn them all over to the King of Corona one day so that the Evil Queen could be tried for her crimes, should she ever return. Then, last year, she DID return, but the King and Queen of Corona had proclaimed her reformed and forgiven her. Even Princess Snow White and Prince James had forgiven her.  What right did they have to forgive her as if only the crimes against them were the ones that mattered?  What justice could there be if the only authorities in the land had forgiven her? It was a pity the young knight had failed yesterday, but it was not unexpected. He was too brash, too hot-headed. Better to wait. Better to watch silently. Plan quietly and thoroughly. There would only be one chance.  He would not fail.


	16. Meditations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. My laptop died and fixing it had to wait until I was back in the U.S. after completing my Afghanistan tour. Happily back in time to catch the season opener, so this piece is definitely non-canon now. Is anyone else upset that Regina's friends are all 'fair weather'? Even Henry is being pretty lackluster in his support. He (and others) were pretty 'rah rah Regina' when they needed her to defeat Zelena, but now that it's about continuing to fight her own inner evil and not some physical being threatening the rest of them, the support group has evaporated! (Except Emma, which seems odd that she would be more concerned and supportive than Henry or Snow.) Enough rant -- on with the next chapter.

Kingdom of Corona  
Roland, Priscilla, and Peter ran in and out of the greenery in the courtyard garden as their mother and father (stepfather, in Roland’s case) kept a watchful eye. Marian and Snow, who was inconspicuously nursing Neal with a shawl over the baby and her shoulder, sat on a bench while their husbands flanked them, standing and trying not to look like they were on guard.

Marian looked between the men with concern. “Do you fear an attack on us or the children?”

Guy and Charming exchanged a look. “No,” her husband replied. “But we didn’t expect one when the Storybrooke guests arrived and yet it happened. We’re just trying to stay alert."

Snow sighed. “I suppose it’s for the best. You know, as much as Storybrooke was meant to be a curse, at least Regina made it a safe town. We never really had to worry about being attacked.”

David, who towered above the ladies’ heads nearly as high as his friend Sir Guy, looked over at the knight and raised his eyebrows. Storybrooke safe? Sir Guy raised his eyebrows back. His gaze flicked up to Regina’s window, remember The Price of magic that had continually attacked her just weeks ago. David understood the glance and nodded his head. He reciprocated by producing a pronounced rocking of his head and shoulders, imitating the movement of the giant Tiny, who had stomped through the town. Sir Guy nodded in return — he had heard the story even though it was before his time in Storybrooke. Sir Guy was intent on reproducing a silent imitation of Zelena when he was interrupted by a sharp “hey!” from Snow White.

“Just because you two are so much taller than us does not mean that you can carry on secret conversations above our heads,” she said.

“Sorry, dear,” David said. “We were just comparing recollections of how often there were attacks in Storybrooke.”

Snow frowned. “Really when you think about it, it was really only about twice a year. Whereas here in the Enchanted Forest, being attacked by robbers or ogres or trolls or enemy soldiers meant that we had to go around armed or with body guards all of the time.”

“Don’t I recall you being one of those robbers, your highness?” Marian said, laughing.

Snow grinned in return. “And there’s the pot calling the kettle black!”

Sir Guy raised his eyebrows at Prince David. “However did we manage to marry women with such dark pasts, your highness?” he asked. “Aside from the short time I spent in that Storybrooke jail, thanks to you, I have never once been on the wrong side of the law. Have you, David?”

“If we discount a short period locked up in the Evil Queen’s dungeon, then no, I haven’t,” David said.

“That’s not true!” Snow exclaimed. “You were arrested on suspicion of murder in Storybrooke!”

“I wasn’t in jail long because Emma wound up arresting Snow for that murder, which wasn’t a murder in any case as no one was dead. Kathryn hadn’t been killed,” David explained to Guy and Marian. “She had been kidnapped and locked up by Jefferson, who is the Mad Hatter and really rather crazy in Storybrooke life, too, at least until he was reunited with his daughter.”

Marian’s eyes widened. “Oh, yes, Storybrooke sounds like a very safe place!”

Snow laughed. “It really is, usually. But I have to concede that it isn’t always. I’m glad that we’re starting the training center. Our young people need to learn how to defend themselves and protect their homes, just as they learn to here.”

“Which reminds me,” David said slowly. “I think it’s time to step up Henry’s training.” He looked over to where the young teen was sitting against a wall, looking despondent.

Snow sighed. “I thought once he knew Regina would be all right that his spirits would pick up and his curiosity about all things Enchanted Forest would re-emerge, but it doesn’t seem to have happened. I’m not sure whether something is wrong or if he’s just bored by a world without video games and electricity.”

Sir Guy and David exchanged another glance. “I think he’s upset because he couldn’t help his mother. He’s not a boy, but he’s not a man either. He feels he should have been able to do something, but he was knocked aside like he was nothing. It’s a difficult enough time for him without that added stress and there’s no one of his own age with whom he can test himself or commiserate.”

Marian looked at her husband and the Prince — two strong, tall men who were experts at fighting and the sword. They could teach Henry their skills but it would be many years before the boy had any hope of giving them a real contest. “He needs something that will help his ego and a friend with whom he can share,” she said. “Not a parent or tutor.” As if in answer to her words, a young man, one of King Richard’s young knights, emerged from the shadows of one of the archways and approached Henry. He spoke to him, but the two were too far away for the adults to hear the words.

 

Henry was deep in thought.  Ever since the attack on his mother, he'd been re-living the event over and over.  Each time he found a new way that he could have -- and should have -- helped his mother.  But in reality, he'd done nothing useful.  Just get pushed aside and knocked senseless in one move.  Everything was over before he could even get back on his feet.  Useless.  That's what he was, use-  “Welcome to our realm,” the young man said, extending his hand to Henry and interrupting Henry's reverie. “I understand you’ve never been here before.”

Henry looked up to see a knight who could only have been a few years older than Henry himself. He stood up and took the knight’s hand. As they shook, Henry realized he and the knight were eye to eye. “Huh, uh, hi!” he replied, glancing across the courtyard to his very tall grandfather and similarly tall Sir Guy. He looked back to meet the knight’s laughing eyes.

“Yes, I know, I’m a little short when it comes to most knights from this realm, but at least I’m tall enough to not be mistaken for a dwarf!” The young knight’s mouth crinkled with silent laughter. Henry could not help but smile back.

“My name’s Henry,” he said. “What’s yours?”

“Sir Henry.”

“No, I’m not a knight, I’m just Henry,” Henry replied.

“Well, properly, YOU are Prince Henry and I am simply Sir Henry! My name is Henry as well,” the knight explained.

“Oh! Sorry! I understand now. Please, just call me Henry,” the young prince replied.

“Thank you, Henry. And you can call me ‘H’ — Sir Cedric, who is the captain of King Richard’s knights says I have to grow another couple of inches before I’m entitled to use of my full name,” he said grinning.

“That’s mean!” Henry exclaimed.

“It’s all in fun. We all have nicknames for one another, although some we can’t use around King Richard or he would be cross with us,” he confided.

“Are the nicknames that cruel?” Henry asked in surprise.

“Oh, no! They’re bawdy! I dare say some would make a tavern wench blush!” H replied.

“Really? Like what?” Henry asked.

H could see the children were playing rather close to them and could over hear. He held up a hand to ask Henry to wait a moment.

“Here now — children!” he called out. The three youngsters looked over to him. “It looks like your mother wants you.” H nodded toward Lady Marian who indeed was looking intently at her offspring. Roland yelled a quick thanks to the knight and then took his brother and sister by their hands and ran together to their mother.

H gestured for Henry to sit back down on the bench. “Now that the small ears are out of the way, let’s make ourselves comfortable and I’ll regale you with some of the finer points of foul language in this realm.”

Henry sat down and then leaned forward eagerly, ready to begin his lessons.

 

Across the courtyard, Roland ran into his mother’s arms. “Mama, mama! Did you want us?”

“Yes, dear. It’s time to go in and clean up before we eat,” Lady Marian said.

“Okay. Should I go tell Henry it’s time to wash up?” Roland asked.

“No, dear. He’s old enough to follow his own schedule,” Snow replied. She glanced over at her grandson who had just sat down with the young knight and seemed deeply engaged in conversation. “Roland, do you know who the young man is with Henry?”

“Oh, his name is Henry, too, only everyone calls him H. He’s telling Henry about knights and wrenches,” Roland supplied helpfully.

“Wrenches?” Snow asked. Roland nodded his head. “Uh huh!”

Sir Guy and Charming began laughing softly. Snow looked up at them disapprovingly. “I am not so sure that Henry should be learning about… wrenches,” she said.

“Oh, come on, Snow. He’s a teenager! It’s time he learned a little bit about… wrenches,” Charming said.

“Just as long as that learning is not up close and personal!” Sir Guy added.

Snow sighed. “I suppose it’s no worse than what he sees on TV back in Storybrooke.”

 

High above the courtyard, Regina sat on her balcony gazing down at her son speaking with the young knight. She turned as King Richard took a seat beside her.

She hastily scratched a few words on her slate and turned it so that he could read it.

“Thank you?” he said. “Why are you thanking me, my dear?”

She pointed down at her son and his new friend.

King Richard nodded and smiled. “You are very perspicacious, Regina. I did indeed have a small part to play. I thought some of my knights were close enough in age to Henry that they could prove good friends and peers for him.” He leaned back from the balcony edge to settle into his chair. “But please do not think that the young man, whose name is also Henry, by the way, had to be at all pushed to meet your son. In truth, he volunteered. He knows firsthand what it is to feel ineffectual against larger and better trained opponents. He knew how Henry must have felt and had intended to approach him in any case.”

Robin joined them on the balcony, placing a cup of soothing tea by Regina’s elbow. “Don’t you think my bride looks much improved today, Sire?” he asked.

“She does indeed, although how much more one can improve perfection is hard to imagine,” the King responded, flirting shamelessly with Regina. She batted her eyes at him and smiled demurely.

The King clapped a hand to Robin’s arm. “My dear Sir Robin, the court physician tells me that he has approved our beautiful patient to take short walks. May I suggest that we take one now? I would like to show Regina a special place and I think with both our arms to lean on, that it will be an easy journey for her.”

Regina was quite eager to leave the suite — as well appointed as it was, she cherished her independence too much to be confined to one space. She nodded her head and wrote a large YES on the slate. Robin chuckled. “Far be it from me to deny my Queen her wishes. Let us go and see this special place.”

 

The journey was not long, although it did take them even higher into the reaches of the castle. With the King holding one of Regina’s elbows and Robin the other, the three scaled the easternmost turret until they were several levels above Regina and Robin’s room. In truth, the three were not alone, but followed by an entourage of dwarves and palace guards, but the protectors stayed discreetly behind except for Grumpy’s whining about the number of stairs.

It had been a fairly prodigious number and Regina was glad they stopped when they did — she did not think she could manage another flight.  
There was no door on the chamber in front of them, only thick curtains of crimson covering an archway. The King swept the curtains to one side and ushered his friends in.

“Corona was kind enough to lend this space to my men and me and allow us to alter it as needed,” he said as he stepped in behind them.

Regina and Robin found themselves in the middle of a small round chapel with four benches and a small altar. The altar rested in front of a large arched window.  Unlike the others in the castle, this one was not open to the elements but had been covered by a simple stained glass depiction of the Crucifixion.

Robin settled Regina onto one of the benches and then he and King Richard knelt before the altar and made the sign of the cross over themselves and bowed their heads before rising and contemplating the room.

“Sire, I have never seen a chapel in the Enchanted Forest before,” Robin said.

King Richard nodded. “This may be the first. I do not know. When I explained to Corona the importance to me and my men to have a place to worship and to pray, he immediately offered this space. He said that every time he entered this room, it gave him a sense of peace, and I must say that it gives me the same feeling.”

He gestured around the room as he spoke. “The stone walls here are lighter, almost pearl-like, while in the rest of the castle they are dark grey. There are tiny slits in the stone that allow fresh air to enter year round, even with the window enclosed.” He pointed next to the stained glass. “There was a glass pane in the window showing the Tree of Life. Corona allowed us to replace it with this one which was made to our specifications in the village. The original pane is here,” he pointed to the back wall where the Tree of Life painted glass hung with a white sheet as its backing. He turned back to the window. “The angle of the turret is such that there is always sunlight — from the first rays of sunrise and the last of sunset — shining through the glass.”

He looked down at Regina. “I come here to meditate and pray at least once every day. It calms my mind and settles my soul. I thought it might serve as a place of meditation and rejuvenation for you, too.”

Regina closed her eyes. She did feel a certain sense of peace here. Was it residual magic from some long ago spell causing it? If she had her powers, she would be able to sense more accurately. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. Perhaps it was time to begin meditating again, the way Blue had been teaching her and Emma. Perhaps here in the Enchanted Forest, the magic would come more easily. She looked up at the King and smiled her agreement.

 

Outside the room, a small contingent of guards waited for their charges to exit. One palace guard, Martin, ever wary of being too much in view of the Evil Queen and her ‘friends’, stayed to the rear of the group. His plans depended upon anonymity. He wanted his face recognized as safe, but then immediately dismissed from memory. He wanted no familiarity that would leave to questions he did not want to answer. There were questions HE wanted to ask though. Such as what was this room? Could it be of use in his plans? Would the Evil Queen begin leaving her room more often? That would present many more opportunities.


	17. Passages

Storybrooke

Emma was bored.  Keeping an eye on Gold had produced nothing but a feeling of sugar overdose as she watched Belle and Gold in various sickeningly sweet poses of honeymoon blisses.  Holding hands, sneaking kisses, adoring looks.  If she didn’t know he had killed Zelena she would have broken off watching him days ago, just for her own sanity.  But here she was again, camped out at the ice cream shop because it had an unobstructed but discreet view of both the side and front doors of Gold’s shop.

“Are you pregnant?”

Emma’s head whipped around from the window at lightning speed to find that Jefferson’s little girl, Grace, was standing beside her table.

“What?  Why would you ask that?” Emma asked, flabbergasted.

“I come in here every day and walk by the window all the time.  You’re always here and you’re always by yourself.  Daddy says eating ice cream is something you do with other people,” she looked over her shoulder at her father who was waiting in line at the cashier.  “He says a woman eating ice cream alone is either broken hearted or pregnant.  Possibly both.”

“Well, I, young lady, am neither.  I just happen to like ice cream a lot,” Emma said.  She dropped her voice to a whisper.  “And if I were you, I’d double check any advice your father gives you about women with an actual woman before you believe it.”  

Grace giggled.  “That’s what my curse Mom says!”

Emma cocked an eyebrow at the little blond girl.  “Do you really call her ‘curse Mom’ and she doesn’t mind?”

“Usually I just call her Mom because my real Mom is in heaven, but my Mom here started calling my Storybrooke father ‘curse dad’ since I have two fathers,” Grace lowered her voice to a whisper, then, too.  “Honestly, she just did it to be funny once and then it stuck, so he calls her curse Mom now, too.”

Emma grinned at the little girl.  “You seem to be managing having a real father and curse parents and two sets of memories just fine.”

“Well, they all love me and I love them and curse Mom and Dad fell in love and got married for real not long after the curse broke, and they like my real Dad, so it’s all been pretty easy,” she said.  “Not like poor Molly Muffett.  She was an orphan in fairy-tale land and her parents here, once the curse broke, realized they were bitter enemies and now they don’t speak to each other at all.  So she has to trail between their houses from week to week and she’s not allowed to mention one parent in the other’s house at all!”

Emma shook her head and said that was terrible, but made a mental note to ask Henry about Molly when he returned and see if they couldn’t invite her to eat with them some time.

“Oh!  Daddy’s calling.  Bye Sheriff!” The little girl spun around and ran to join her father who gave Emma a wary eye.  Probably because of kidnapping  Kathryn and Mary Margaret, but that was before the curse broke.  Bygones were bygones in this town.  Emma looked down at the half-eaten chocolate sundae in front of her and put a surreptitious hand to her stomach to make sure all the ice cream hadn’t been showing up on her waistline.  Her jeans were a little tight today.  Maybe it was time to find a new vantage point…

 

Kingdom of Corona

It was Regina’s first day to join everyone for breakfast and she took extra care to ensure she had the smallest possible bandage on her head and arranged her hair so that it almost completely concealed that bandage.  She decided with one last look to the mirror that if one didn’t stare at her too long, they wouldn’t even realize she’d had a head wound.  The neck was something else.  The bruising was still quite astonishing.  She opted to wear a high-necked dress that covered her entire throat.  It also covered her entire chest.  Not her typical style, but as a reformed Evil Queen and pregnant mother, maybe it was time to put the plunging necklines behind her.

Robin came up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist.  “You look stunning, my love.”  He kissed her shoulder briefly.  “Although I admit to looking forward to the day you can start wearing the… ‘audacious’ clothes you wore in the castle last year.”

She rolled her eyes at him in the mirror, but turned and kissed him.  She did like a man who appreciated her clothing sense.  Maybe all those dresses needed was a change in color, not a change in style.  Not so much black.  She picked up her slate and chalk and headed for the door to breakfast with fashion ideas bouncing around her head.

\-----

Applause greeted Regina as she entered the breakfast room.  She nodded her head regally in acknowledgement and took a seat between King Richard and her son Henry.

She dropped a kiss on top of Henry’s head and squeezed his shoulder.  He smiled at her brightly — the most chipper he had looked since the attack.  “Morning, Mom!  You look great!”  She gave him one of her rare, unrestrained smiles and took her seat, laying the slate next to her plate for easy use.

“Mom, what happened to your slate?  There’s a chunk out of the side,” Henry exclaimed, picking it up.  Regina turned a little red.  David chuckled from across the table.

“Grumpy had the poor judgment of opining that this period of muteness was good for Regina — that having to use the slate stopped her from making hurtful remarks to innocent people,” David explained.  “Then Regina demonstrated how she could still use the slate to be hurtful.”  Regina was rapidly writing on the slate and turned it around for all to see.

It read:  “Grumpy’s head is harder than the slate.  Unfortunately.”

Snow shook her head and stifled a giggle, partly at the shocked expressions on the faces of the royalty around the table.  “Please, don’t misunderstand.  Regina and Grumpy have a healthy respect for one another under a veneer of antagonism.  In fact, if I know Grumpy, he probably likes Regina even more after this,” she explained smiling.  Regina wrote again hurriedly on the board.

“We have a special relationship.”

The Queen of Corona chuckled.  “Apparently!  But do tell us how you are feeling, Regina.  How are you faring with the babe?  I must say I spent the first few months with both of my pregnancies in a great deal of distress.”  Her husband nodded in agreement and added:  “I was apologizing several times a day for the first few months, then there was a few months of hardly any issues at all.  Then in the last two months I started apologizing again.”

“You had nothing to apologize for, my dear,” his Queen said.  “You were the perfect husband through it all.”

The King leaned toward King Richard and in a stage whisper muttered, “That’s not what she was yelling about me from the birthing chamber!”

Regina couldn’t help but chuckle aloud, which came out as a strangled cough.  She took a long soothing sip from her honey-steeped tea to soothe it.  Robin answered the Queen for her.

“Regina tells me that she is feeling fine, much better than her early weeks, but we do plan for her to travel back to Storybrooke for an examination by her doctor once she is stronger and the White Rabbit has returned,” he explained.

Henry’s face fell slightly, “But Rabbit’s due back soon, isn’t he?  Are we going back so quickly?”

Regina took Henry’s hand and shook her head.  She scrawled rapidly, “Only me.  I’ll rejoin you here quickly.”

“I can stay then?” Henry asked brightly.  His mother nodded her head yes.

“But don’t think you won’t be without parental supervision, young man,” Robin added.  “Your grandparents and I will still be here to keep an eye on you.”

“You’re not going back with Regina?” King Richard asked.

Robin shook his head.  “No, Sire.  Sir Guy and I are almost ready to start the training you desired for your men.  I will focus on that while Regina is gone so that once it is time for Henry and Roland to go back to school, we can all return together as a family.”  Marian exchanged a look with her husband when Roland’s name was mentioned.  The look did not go unnoticed by Robin.

“Marian, is there some issue with Roland returning with us to go to school?” he asked, trying to keep his voice reasonable.

She shook her head.  “No.  I shall miss him terribly of course, but it is what we agreed to.  I think it is best for the children that they get as much schooling as they can in Storybrooke, but that they also learn the ways and knowledge of this realm.  After all, it seems we just can’t be sure when and if we could wind up living forever in one or the other.” 

Regina inhaled a sharp breath.  It was, of course, her fault that the large-population realm jumping had begun in the first place.  Snow looked at her in sympathy.

“I, for one, am thankful for some of the things the curse brought us.  Without it I would have lived my whole life without knowing of the wonders that exist out there.  In the other realm, they think that we are figments of the imagination, but there, things are real that I could never possibly have imagined.  People exploring space — actually landing on the moon and walking around!  Not even magic can do that.  And the medicines and health care — things we could not possibly heal here, are minor matters there,” she paused for a breath.  “I know it was meant to be a curse, Regina, but in reality it brought us, and our children, many blessings.”

“Here, here,” David concurred.  Regina turned a little red and inclined her head in acknowledgement to Snow.  She could not help but agree with Snow, after all, the curse had brought her the blessing of Henry.  She leaned over and hugged him.  Henry hugged her back for a moment, but was conscious, as any teenage boy would be, of his (almost) peer group of young knights watching from down the table.

“I understand, Mom, and I’m grateful for you, too,” he whispered to her. “But can we knock off some of the PDA in front of the guys?”

Regina sniffed and hugged him a little harder briefly and then let go.  The teen years were going to be tough.  She turned to her breakfast and tried to ward off her tears by concentrating on the creamy mash in front of her.  Her shoulders slumped a little.

King Richard leaned toward her and spoke softly to her.  “While I have no children of my own, I have helped in raising quite a number.  Just remember that however hard it is to allow them to grow up, it is just as hard on them to actually grow up — no matter how much they may pretend it’s not.”  Regina smiled at him gratefully and found it a little easier to swallow her mash and continue her breakfast. 

The party at the table seemed to realize that so much attention on her was taxing her strength and keeping her from her meal, so discussion turned to everyone’s plans for the day.  H was taking Henry to watch jousting (in reality, he was going to give Henry some rudimentary instruction in it, but no need to upset the motherly types at the table by saying so), the Queen of Corona and Lady Marian were taking the young children to the lake beside the castle, and Robin and Sir Guy were going to finalize their plans for instruction of the young knights as well as gather intelligence reports from some travelers who were passing through from Sherwood Forest.

Regina’s plans were much simpler — a post-breakfast nap, followed by a leisurely climb to King Richard’s chapel to meditate, followed by another nap and then lunch with her husband in their room.  She was anxious to heal and get back to a more active life.

\-----

After scaling the flights of stairs to the chapel, with an entourage of bodyguards trailing behind her down the spiral staircase like a gaggle of armored ducklings (except Grumpy, who had insisted on going ahead of her and ‘taking point’ as he called it), Regina was happy to sink onto one of the benches and rest her legs.  She was amused, and gratified, to find that the hard benches were now graced with plump cushions.  She was sure that King Richard or Robin had arranged that for her — she couldn’t imagine the sovereign and his knights acquiring cushions for themselves.

She settled herself comfortably, closed her eyes, and then began meditating as Blue had taught her.  After several attempts, Regina acknowledged to herself that she couldn’t concentrate in the manner the fairy had proscribed.  Her eyes kept opening and drifting up to the stained glass window and the depiction of the Crucifixion.  Because of the curse, she knew in general about Christianity and the story of this man’s death, but she found herself wondering as she looked at the artwork what it was that captured King Richard’s heart and soul.  

She wondered if the things the King had told her were really true — that redemption, forgiveness, and salvation were all possible.  She wanted it to be, she really did, but she knew wanting it wasn’t enough.  It was like what the Blue Fairy had said about attaining the highest level of light magic — it required faith.  And faith was something Regina had in very short supply.  She sighed and let her gaze drop from the window.  It fell upon a book on the bench in front of her.  A note lay on top of it.

> _My Dear Regina,_
> 
> _Although this is a peaceful place, sometimes my mind is too restless to focus.  In those times, I find that reading certain passages and allowing their words to guide my thoughts provides me the serenity I need._
> 
> _This copy of the Holy Book is yours.  (I do not say that I give it to you, because our Father gave it to the world — I am only facilitating the delivery of His gift into your hands.)  I encourage you to find the passages that speak to you.  I offer a few suggestions, all indicated by slips of paper on the appropriate pages._
> 
> _Most are within the Book of Psalms.  Many of its passages were written for, or possibly by, a King of ancient times named David.  His life was not without sin and his struggles, within himself and with foreign foes, were many.  I find that these passages in particular speak to me.  I suspect you will find resonance as well._
> 
> _Your Devoted Friend,_
> 
> _Richard REX_

 

Regina picked up the book on which the note had lain.  It was a large handbound tome that across the front, in ornate script, read “Biblia Sacra”.   Throughout the pages, tiny pieces of parchment had been inserted, each carefully inscribed with the number of a chapter and verse.  Rather than start at the beginning, Regina selected one of the parchment pieces and opened the tome to that page.  Before she could seek the particular passages marked on the parchment, her eyes were caught by a set of words.

> “51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
> 
> 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
> 
> 51:4 Against thee, and thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
> 
> 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
> 
> 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
> 
> 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
> 
> 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
> 
> 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
> 
> 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Regina caught her breath, feeling as if the words had been written for her.  “My sin is ever before me,” she read aloud.  “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  Or perhaps, Snow? she thought to herself.  “Create in me a clean heart.”  She thought of the blackness of her own and how Snow’s heart now held darkness as well.  Even the phrase “Make me to hear joy and gladness” reminded her of her hesitancy to open herself to happiness.

A tear dropped onto the back of her hand where it lay on the illuminated page.  She closed her eyes and opened her soul, allowing the meditative state that had eluded her earlier to take over her consciousness.

 


	18. Misdeeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break. My only excuses are moving half way around the world and my laptop dying.

Kingdom of Corona 

“Hey! Forest Boy!” Robin stopped in his tracks in astonishment and slowly turned to face the short stocky man approaching. “Grumpy, tell me you did not just call me such a disrespectful name,” he said in a deliberate tone.

“I thought it was better than calling you asshole, which is what I really wanted to say,” Grumpy replied in a gruff tone.

“What have I done to deserve this?” Robin asked tersely.

“You’re sending Regina back alone, without you or anyone else to protect her on the trip!” Grumpy exclaimed.

“The Rabbit will be with her and-,” Grumpy cut him off before he could finish. “You’re sending her with animated stew meat?!?” he cried.

“Grumpy! Let me finish, she’s going with The White Rabbit, but I was also going to ask that you go. King Richard wants to send the captain of his knights, Sir Cedric, and Corona wishes to send one of his trusted guards,” Robin explained.

“Which one?” Grumpy asked warily.

“I believe the King said his name was Martin, he’s been stationed on the corridor since the beginning,” Robin supplied.

Grumpy nodded his head. “He’s okay. Quiet. Doesn’t give me any sass.”

“Heaven forbid,” Robin said sarcastically, but then softened. “I appreciate how well you look after Regina.”

Grumpy grumbled. “Wasn’t doing so well at it a few days ago.”

Robin put a hand on his shoulder. “None of us were prepared, but we need to put it behind us. Learn from it but do not dwell.”

Grumpy looked as if he wanted to grumble some more, but just gave a ‘hmph’ and asked, “So when do we leave?”

“Sir Guy expects Rabbit to arrive tomorrow with news from Wonderland. Guy thinks it is possible Queen Anastasia may travel to Storybrooke as well. Rabbit went back to Wonderland after the attack and he was going to inform her of the incident and the likelihood that Regina would go to Storybrooke, if only for a short time,” Robin explained. “We expect Rabbit to tell us that the White Queen, Anastasia, has arranged for protection on their arrival in Wonderland, too. Regina apparently had only one or two interactions with that realm but her mother ruled there as the hated Queen of Hearts for many years.”

“Big surprise there,” Grumpy added. “Quite the family tree your baby will have.”

Robin raised his eyebrows and smiled ruefully, “I believe Regina’s true nature is much more like her father’s than her mother’s. From everything I have learned from Regina and from others, it took a great deal of concentrated effort by two powerful magical beings to turn Regina to darkness. It was not her natural inclination.”

Grumpy cocked an eyebrow back at Robin. “Being evil may not have been Regina’s natural inclination, but she was REALLY good at it anyway.”

Robin grinned ruefully. “True. Yet here we are, protecting her and supporting her because she wants to be a better person.”

“We all want to be better people, Forest Boy,” Grumpy countered. “I stand up for her because she’s actually doing it.”

___________

Martin couldn’t believe things were going so well. He’d actually been chosen to accompany the Evil Queen back to this Storybrooke place. She’d be less on her guard there and he could dispatch her easily, and without suspicion on him, if he chose that route. It had appeal — as an anonymous executioner, her death would be on behalf of everyone wronged by the Evil Queen. On the other hand, if he revealed himself, her death would be interpreted as his revenge for his son’s death. Martin wasn’t ashamed of what he was doing and he was willing to face whatever consequences there may be. The Queen, and everyone else, needed to know that the people who had worked for her had been victims, too. Maybe there was a way to make it clear that her death was about everything she had done and not just the death of his son. An idea quickly formed in his head. He had been given the day off to put any necessary personal affairs in order before departing on the journey early the next morning. Now he knew how he would use the day.

__________

Regina had already been up to the little chapel once today for meditation and further reading in the Holy Book. The illuminated tome was heavy, so she had been leaving it in the chapel and only reading it there. But now, as she was preparing to leave for Storybrooke, she had decided to take it with her, no matter how heavy it was. So she began her slow ascent up the spiraling stone stairs, Grumpy ahead of her and Sir Cedric at her back.

“Weren’t you two given the day off to get ready for the journey?” she asked via her chalk and slate.

Grumpy shrugged. “I’m leaving most of the stuff I brought here and I’ve got an apartment of stuff in Storybrooke. So, not much to do to get ready.”

Sir Cedric nodded in agreement. “All my belongings fit into a single satchel. I need no time. In any case, I was going to the chapel tonight anyway. I should like to say a prayer for our journey.”

Regina nodded her understanding. After several more minutes of climbing, they reached top of the spire and the little room it held. Sir Cedric entered first to ensure it was safe. He stopped cold in the doorway.

“Cedric! What is it? Is it safe?” Grumpy called. Regina brushed past Grumpy to go in herself, but Sir Cedric blocked her way. “It’s safe, but someone’s been here. The walls are covered with parchment filled with handwriting. I have to get closer to see what it says,” he replied. He moved deeper into the room and close to one of the pages of parchment the better to read it.

Regina walked slowly to one of the pages and began to read as well. Grumpy stayed near the door, on watch, but from there he could read a page tacked up close to the door.

“I don’t understand,” Sir Cedric said. “It appears to be testimony, of a sort, from people who witnessed terrible things.” Regina’s hands trembled and her slate fell with a soft thud onto the thick carpet at her feet. Her hands went to her mouth and tears filled her eyes as she moved to another page, and then another. Neither Grumpy nor Sir Cedric noticed Regina’s distress, but kept reading.

Grumpy noted poorly-formed lettering and realized that whomever wrote this was not well-educated. Not a surprise in the Enchanted Forest. Grumpy could only read and write thanks to the curse. He stepped a little closer to the parchment and read under his breath, “Testimony of the remaining members of the Hooper family.” The text continued:

“My name is Berta Hooper and I swear that wot I am saying here is tru and that I saw it myself.  It was eight years ago, not counting the curs, just before harvist.  We were a family of poor blacksmiths. My husband and eldest sun ran the forj. Another sun and the eldest dawter would fetch water, wood, and straw to help with the work. I would do everything else that needed doing. Taking care of the two babies, cooking, cleening, mending, baking small things to sel. Our life was hard and simple, but we were happy. We didn’t much care about the palace or goings on there. Until the day SHE came to town. Looking for that step-dawter of hers, she was. I could see her talking to the vilage elder just in front of my husband’s shop. I don’t know what the elder sed, but her face twisted and all the bildings started shaking. And then the fires in the forj suddenly exploded. The flames burned up my husband, two of my sons and my eldest dawter. They didn’t have time to run at all. The flames caught the vilage elder, too, but they didn’t even tuch her. She was safe and sound — her fancie dress not even sinjed. And then she laffed. Laffed. As if she’d just made a joke. That’s when I knew that it was tru wot folks called her, the Evil Queen.”

Grumpy started. “Cedric! Get Regina out of here!”

The younger knight spun on his armored heel, one hand to his sword expecting some danger in sight, but all he saw was Grumpy’s unreadable expression and the Queen slumped on a bench, several of the parchment pages clutched to her chest, tears streaming down her face. Cedric was confused until Grumpy said in a harsh whisper, “They’re about her, when she was evil. GET HER OUT OF HERE!”

Cedric nodded and went to kneel beside Regina. “Milady, please come with me. You mustn’t stay here,” as he said it, he tried to take the parchment pages from Regina’s hands but she clutched them even tighter. “All right. You keep those. I’ll get your slate,” he scooped it up with one hand and raised Regina from sitting position with the other. “We’ll just take a slow walk down the stairs back to your rooms. You need a good rest before our early start tomorrow.” Regina gave no nod of the head to indicate she heard him, and just let him lead her away. At the door, she stopped abruptly and, with one hand still clutching the parchment against her chest, she reached the other hand toward The Holy Book which lay on a bench near the far wall.

Grumpy understood what she wanted. “Don’t worry, Regina, I’ll grab… it… for… you,” he trailed off in amazement for no sooner had he begun walking to the book, than it flew through the air and into Regina’s waiting arm.

“So, uh. Magic’s back! That’s a good thing, right?” Grumpy said hesitantly.

Sir Cedric made no response, but as he led Regina down the stairs he wondered whether the writings had awoken Regina’s magic, or if they had awoken the Evil Queen.

____________

Prince Charming, Snow, Robin, Grumpy, Sir Guy, Sir Cedric, King Richard, and Corona were all crammed into Robin and Regina’s quarters discussing the appearance of the parchment pages. Martin stood guard outside the door, successfully concealing his pleasure at the turn of events. Regina sat in a corner with her slate, looking much more normal, except for red-rimmed eyes, and no longer clutching the pages to her chest. Every now and then someone would look at her a bit suspiciously from the corner of their eye and she would flash the slate at them on which she had written “I’m NOT the Evil Queen again.”

Eventually Snow reached out and grabbed the slate from her.“I’m not looking at you because I’m worried you’ve gone back to being Evil. I’m looking at you because I feel horrible for you and I’m worried for your safety.” Regina frowned at her but nodded acquiescence. She held out her hand for the slate, but Snow refused. “No. You’re going to sit and listen for a few minutes.” She turned back to her husband. “David, repeat what you just said.”

David had taken on his sheriff persona at the news of the incident and had been doing some investigating. “I don’t think the intention was for Regina to see the, uh, writings,” he said. “Anyone who had been following her routine would believe that she had already been to the Chapel and since she’s leaving early tomorrow, that she would be away before they were found.”

“So you don’t think they were put there to upset Regina?” Robin asked.

“No. I think they were put there to remind the rest of us, and in particular the habitués of that chapel, of Regina’s old life,” David responded. “And, we know that whoever did it has been obsessed with the activities of the Evil Queen for years. None of the ink is fresh and most pages appear to be several years old.” David took a breath, rather enjoying his role as lead detective. “The author spent a great deal of time on this project. The accounts are all from eye-witnesses. That means he or she has or had, the ability to travel all around the realm. Also,” David paused a moment, unsure whether to keep up the stream of deductive reasoning.

“Keep going, Sherlock,” Grumpy encouraged. “Everything sounds logical so far.”

David smirked a bit. “Also,” he continued, “It would seem that the person was either self-educated or educated only up to a certain level. There are frequent misspellings and the penmanship is rather raw.”

Snow nodded. “The schoolteacher in me noticed that. Literacy rates are pretty low in the Enchanted Forest. Nobility and gentry are taught well and would write much better than the samples we have, but education drops off steeply at other class levels. Maybe a tradesman? Or a clerk? Someone who had to learn to read and write for work, but only to a minimal level.”

Outside the door, Martin smiled to himself, glad that he had concealed his self-taught skills from his employers. As a guard, it would be assumed that he was illiterate, and therefore above suspicion. True, he had not intended for the Evil Queen to see the pages — the bumbling Prince who was playing detective had gotten that right. But the affect were satisfying. She had return to her rooms ashen, visibly shaken, as had her companions. Martin still had more pages of testimony left. Perhaps they should go with him to Storybrooke and figure into the Evil Queen’s end.

Inside the room, discussion turned to whether to send more guards with Regina the next day. Robin shook his head, perhaps sensing Regina’s displeasure at the idea of more guards. “Regina’s been safe in Storybrooke. Besides, in addition to the three we are sending, Emma and the Blue Fairy are there and they can cast protective spells.”

Regina had a sudden thought and magicked the slate out of Snow’s hands and back into her own. Without using the chalk, she wrote on the board, “I can cast my own spells.”

“Indeed you can, my dear Regina, and we are very happy for you,” King Richard stated. “But we reserve the right to continue to worry and fuss over you.”

“Here, here,” Corona said. “And if we are to take proper care of you, then we must allow you to sleep before your journey tomorrow. Rest assured that while you are gone we will continue the search for the misguided soul who left these pages in the chapel.” Corona nodded his head to the assemblage and swept out, obviously considering that his words had ended the meeting and that others would depart with him. Slowly, they all did until Regina and Robin were alone.

She rose and began packing a bag. There really was very little to take beyond her slate and a change of clothes. The White Rabbit, who had arrived shortly after the happenings in the chapel, had informed them that Dr. Whale recommended not taking both jumps right after one another, so they would spend the day and night in Wonderland before continuing on to Storybrooke. She picked up the heavy Bible and considered how to stuff it into her small bag. Perhaps a miniaturizing spell?

Robin took the Bible from her hands. “This is terribly heavy. Sure you want to carry it for two days?” Regina bit her lip and then nodded yes.

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure that Storybook has loads of Bibles. What with there being a convent there and all. Not to mention a library. And frankly, you can probably pour the words into that little device you told me stored books for you,” Robin suggested.

Regina felt a little embarrassed. Just because she was only now discovering religion didn’t mean that she was trailblazing. She waved a hand at her slate. Robin read the words that appeared. “Download, not pour. And, of course you’re right. The book stays here with you.”

“I will take good care of it,” Robin promised and took her in his arms. “You take good care of yourself and your three escorts.”

She nodded her promise and relaxed into his arms.


	19. Revelations

Kingdom of Corona

There was just the slightest tinge of pink in the pre-dawn sky as the travelers and their well-wishers left the castle.  Much as had happened in Storybrooke, the King of Corona had grown weary of the White Rabbit's portal holes popping up in the most inconvenient places.  He designated a rock-filled meadow a short walk from the castle as the arrival and departure area for the Rabbit.

The well-wishers outnumbered the travelers two to one as Robin, Henry, Roland, Snow and Charming, Sir Guy and Marian, the King and Queen of Corona and King Richard accompanied Regina, Grumpy, Sir Cedric, Martin, and the White Rabbit to the meadow.  As most of the group hugged one another and made their farewells, two stood apart.  The White Rabbit kept looking at his watch, tapping his large foot and shaking his head, impatient to leave.  Martin simply stood still and observed the show of emotion among the noble gathering.  His face showed nothing, but inwardly he recoiled at the affection shown to the Evil Queen.  His aloofness did not go unnoticed.  Robin saw the man standing alone and realized he perhaps had no one to bid him farewell on this most unusual trip.  Robin wondered whether anyone had even bothered to explain to him the process of traveling by portal or if, like a good soldier, he simply obeyed orders and had faith that his superiors wouldn't unthinkingly send him into danger.  While Regina hugged her relatives, Robin approached Martin.

"Good Morrow, Martin.  Could your family not come to bid you fair journey?" Robin asked.

Martin seemed surprised to be addressed.  "Good Morrow, Sir Robert.  I have no family, sir."

"Consider yourself then, part of mine.  When you get to Storybrooke, ask for Alan-a-Dale.  He is one of my Merry Men who stayed behind.  He will make you welcome," Robin said.

"Thank you, sir, I will find him," Martin replied.

Robin glanced toward the White Rabbit.  "Has anyone explained to you how the portal travel works?"

"I can't rightly say I know how it works, sir, but Sir Grumpy did tell me what to expect and what to do," Martin said.

Robin's eyebrows raised at the title 'Sir Grumpy' but he let it pass.  "I'm glad you've heard what to expect.  It is a singularly strange experience," Robin said.  His face grew serious.  "Martin, I want to thank you for going.  The fact that your King selected you means that he trusts you above all others.  My wife and our unborn child are precious beyond imagining to me and it makes my whole being ache to let them journey without me, but I am calmed by the thought that they are in the good care of men of worth like you," Robin said.

Although Martin's stomach twisted at the words, his face still showed nothing.  "I shall serve you as I serve my own King," Martin bowed his head slightly to Robin and hoped Robin didn't realize that Martin didn't serve the King -- instead, the King unknowingly had been serving Martin.

The sound of the portal opening distracted their attention.  Time to go.  Robin hurried back to Regina's side for one last goodbye before she entered.  Just then a horse and rider pounded to a stop at the edge of the gathering.

"King Richard!  King Richard!  Grim news from home!" the young rider cried.

King Richard approached him swiftly.  "What is it, my boy?  Quickly!"

"Last night the armies of King George and Prince John began killing whole villages where they believe even a single loyalist lives.  Edwinstowe and Thynghowe are naught but ash -- no one was spared.  As I left, the enemy was surrounding Worksop to do the same," the young man choked on a sob.  "I tried to do as you ordered, Sire, and only watch and report, but I couldn't, not after what they did in the other two villages.  I warned the people in Worksop, but they said they'd rather die where they were born than run away. So I left."  Full tears were running down his face now.  "One mother chased after me and gave me her two children to save.  I left them at the castle and then came straight here.  The poor bairns are surely orphans now."

King Richard sighed deeply.  "You did the right thing, Iain.  But this news forces our hand.  We must plan and act quickly."

Regina was at the edge of the portal with Sir Cedric at her side, preparing to enter.  She couldn't help but notice that Sir Cedric seemed reluctant to enter.  Regina clapped her hands to gain everyone's attention and then used magic to write in the air:  "King Richard, with this turn of events it is not fitting that I should take the captain of your knights.  He belongs here with you.  Grumpy and Martin are more than capable of getting me safely to Wonderland and the White Queen has more guards awaiting us there.  Once in Storybrooke, and with my magic returned, I will be quite safe," Regina mentally noted that her magic wasn't fully back.  She'd only been able to do these simple tricks.  A protection spell or doing battle with magic was out of the question as yet.

King Richard looked to Robin.  "Sir Robert, I leave the decision to you."

Robin nodded his head in reluctant acquiescence.  "While I would prefer to send everyone I could with Regina, the greater threat before us is against the helpless people of our land.  Sir Cedric should stay."

Sir Cedric breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Regina.  "Thank you, your highness.  I will repay you one day for your thoughtfulness."

She rested her hands on the young man's armored biceps and looked into his eyes.  So young.  In too few years, it could be Henry standing before her in his armor ready to do battle.  Regina drew the young man toward her until her lips were near his right ear.  In a pained whisper, almost too raw to understand, she said, "Repay me by living."

Sir Cedric nodded and thought, not for the first time, that he was slightly jealous of both Henry and Sir Robert.  Perhaps Robin could read something of Sir Cedric's thoughts because he interrupted them.  "Pardon me, Cedric, but I feel I must say goodbye yet one more time to my wife," he said.  Cedric smiled and moved away.

Robin leaned his head against Regina's.  "Stay safe and now that you have at least some magic back, please don't kill Grumpy no matter how much of a smart ass he is."  Regina smiled her agreement.  In the same pained whisper she said, "Love you.  Be safe."  They kissed one more time and then she turned and stepped through the portal.

Wonderland

The trip through the portal left Regina feeling dizzy and it took both Martin and Grumpy to help her up out of the hole.

"Regina!  Darling!  I am so thrilled to have you as a guest tonight!  It's a special evening - we're turning on the 'lectrics for the first time.  There's to be a grand ceremony!"  Anastasia, the White Queen, gushed and took Regina by the hands.  Regina let go so she could grab her slate. She looked to Grumpy for his help.

"Your majesty, please understand, Queen Regina has been told not to use her voice so in order to answer you, she must use her hands," he explained.

"Oh, but of course!  I heard your throat had been damaged, but you look so marvelous I thought you must have been completely healed," Ana said, smiling.  Regina smiled back while she scribbled.  She still felt a little shaky from the portal and didn't want to chance using magic.  She turned the slate to face Ana.

"Thank you!  You are too kind.  Have you fitted the whole castle with electricity?"

"The castle?  Oh, no, darling.  The village near the castle is the first place with 'lectrics.  The castle will be the very last," she explained.  Ana leaned closer to Regina and whispered conspiratorially.  "Mind you, though, I've reserved us rooms at the village inn.  Much more convenient than staying at the castle, what with the ceremony and festivities taking place in the village.  The Inn even has what you call indoor plumbing! We're still using buckets at the castle!"

Regina couldn't help but feel her heart lighten listening to Ana's infectious enthusiasm and when Ana looped an arm through Regina's, she didn't even give her a look of disdain for encroaching on her personal space.

"Come along, everyone!" she said sweeping a look over the rest of the group.  "We have rooms for you all and I am sure you'll want to discuss security arrangements with Will's men as soon as possible."  She turned back to Regina.  "We'll get you settled and rested and then we'll swap stories as recovering evilholics as my Will likes to call me!"

Once resting in her room, Regina began to feel the effects of the portal fading.  She was intrigued by the 'upgrades' to the inn.  It did indeed have wiring for electricity -- the wires were rather crudely strung along the wall to a single bulb hanging from the ceiling.  The power wasn't on yet, so there were still oil lamps in the room.  The indoor plumbing was similarly crude.  The pipes actually ran along the outside wall and came in through a window.  Still, much better than a bucket!

As she mused, a light tapping came at the door.  "Regina, darling, do you mind some company?"  The White Queen's voice came through the door.

Regina opened the door and Anastasia came through, flowers cradled in her arms.

"Some lovely children brought these to the inn for you," she explained.

Regina walked over to take them.  "Really?  How kind of them!  But why?" she asked via her slate as she looked around the room for something to use as a vase.  She spied a bucket in the corner and mentally ignored its original purpose as she took it into the bathroom and filled it with water.  The White Queen followed her and explained.  "You are the new Wonderland's first official royal guest!  Simply everyone's talking about you and wants to see you!  Of course," her voice dropped to a whisper, "only Will and I know that your mother was the hated Queen of Hearts.  No one will ever know from us."

Kingdom of Corona

The throne room had become a war room.  Tables had been brought in with maps spread across them.  Messengers belonging to Corona and King Richard rushed in and out.  The two kings stood just below the twin thrones discussing developments.  The Queen of Corona sat upon one of the thrones, two little girls asleep in her arms.  The children the young knight had saved from Worksop.

"It's getting worse, Corona," King Richard sighed.  "Five more villages burned."

"If I had an army to give you, I would, my friend.  What few men we have are yours," Corona replied.

King Richard shook his head.  "No.  You are too involved as it is.  You have a peaceful kingdom and no need for armies.  If you align to closely to me, you will become a target for George and John."

"That may happen anyway, Richard," he replied.  "Men such as these are never satisfied with what they have.  They will eventually try to rule the entire realm."

"Even more reason to keep your few men here, protecting your kingdom," King Richard said somberly. 

Sir Guy approached the Kings, a scroll in his hand.  "Your Highnesses, we have reports of large numbers of people traveling toward the kingdom."

"An advancing army?" Richard asked.  Sir Guy shook his head.  "No, Sire.  It appears the massacres have splintered Prince John's forces.  Many of those approaching are defectors and claim they seek to join you."

"Then we must leave and meet them before they reach this Kingdom.  We cannot allow Corona to become host to a foreign army.  In any case, we need our forces closer to the fight.  We have no flexibility from this distance," Richard said.

"Sire, not all who approach are fighters.  The soldiers are bringing their families with them -- afraid to leave them in their villages for fear they will be killed," Sir Guy explained.  Robin and Charming joined the discussion. Robin took the scroll from Sir Guy and studied.

"Your Highness, there are hundreds of children and innocents in these numbers," Robin said.  "We can't have them to close to the fighting."

The Queen's voice broke through their discussion.  "They shall come here.  We do not have the numbers to fight, but we are a kingdom of giving hearts.  The families will be welcome here.  Spread the word throughout the kingdom.  Our doors are open to the people of Nottinghamshire."  She hugged the children on her lap closer.  "No child shall be left without comfort and shelter."  She fixed King Richard with her gaze.  "King Richard, can you spread word that there is refuge here?  We cannot stop the villains from burning down villages, but perhaps we can ensure that those villages are as empty as possible."

King Richard glanced at Corona with raised eyebrows, seeking his endorsement of his wife's pronouncement.  Corona smiled.  "It's actually her kingdom.  I just married into it."


	20. Waiting

Wonderland

Regina and Anastasia wandered back to the little inn together after the lighting ceremony loosely surrounded by bodyguards — keeping the Queens safe, but unobtrusively so. The streets of the humble village were filled with revelers marveling at the lights that illuminated the cobblestone streets without flames. Every now and then, above the din of the celebrations, a loud ‘pop’ could be heard.

Regina leaned over to Anastasia and whispered roughly in her ear. “What are the popping sounds?”

Anastasia laughed. “Well, we’ve managed to bring electricity to Wonderland, but we’re still working on controlling the power. We tend to explode those little things the light comes from. I think Will calls them ‘bulbs,” she explained.

Regina nodded her head. That made sense. 

A young peasant girl rushed up to Anastasia’s side and curtsied. “The medicine you asked for, milady.” She handed a small bottle to Anastasia.

“Thank you, Giselle. It’s exactly the recipe I gave you? Nothing added?” Ana asked.

“Just as you asked, milady. My aunt did it herself.”

“Wonderful. Thank your aunt for me, dear. Now go enjoy the rest of the evening,” Ana directed. The young girl bobbed her head and then ran off into the swirling crowd.

Ana turned to Regina. “This is for you, my dear. It’s an elixir that will heal your voice. It’s not magic - totally natural - and will not harm the baby. Since it’s freshly made, it will need to rest over night. Drop it into your tea first thing in the morning and you’ll be right as rain before we step through the portal,” Ana said with a smile.

Regina took the little bottle from her slowly, one hand protectively on her stomach. She raised her eyebrows at Ana questioningly.

“Truly, Regina, it is safe. The recipe is one my mother used often. She would lose her voice all the time from screeching at the servants and my poor stepsister. Two drops and she would be back in full voice. It’s a variation of a recipe that soothes stomach ails so it has the added benefit of easing morning sickness,” she winked at Regina.

Regina blushed a bit. She had hoped her queasiness as she came out of the portal this morning had gone unnoticed. She slipped the vial into her pocket and mouthed the words “thank you.” The royal pair continued the rest of their journey in silence.

Behind them, Grumpy and Martin observed the exchanged. “Should we be worried about that vial?” Martin asked.

Grumpy shook his head. “I don’t think so. The White Queen is a friend and Regina is pretty magic savvy. If that little bottle is poison or a potion, she’ll feel it.”

Martin nodded his head curtly and looked around the crowd with narrowed eyes. “Don’t like this place,” he said bluntly.

Grumpy shrugged. “It is a lot different than the Enchanted Forest. All manner of talking animals and odd colors everywhere.”

“Not what I meant. I don’t like it cuz you can’t see where an attacker could come from in time. Too many people and all strange. How do you pick out who to watch?” Martin explained.

Grumpy was impressed with how dedicated Martin was to protecting the Queen and said as much to his compatriot. Martin shrugged. “Just doing my job,” he said aloud, keeping the real reason, that he wanted no one else to kill Regina before he could, hidden.

 

Kingdom of Corona

Robin ran a weary hand over his face. He had been leaning over a table for hours plotting how best to get refugees out of Nottinghamshire and get King Richard’s loyal army in. Sir Cedric clapped a hand to Robin’s shoulder.

“Sir Robert, you’re exhausted. Go and rest a while and see to your sons. They need some time with you now that their mother has left.” Robin nodded his head. Both David and Sir Guy had long since gone in search of their families. It was time he did the same.

As it happened, he found them all in the same place — the Charmings, the Gisbourne’s and Henry and Roland all in the inner courtyard, talking and playing, and nibbling on light fare. Robin grabbed a roll from a basket at Sir Guy’s elbow and sat upon a nearby bench.

“Papa! Papa! We saved you food!” Roland ran at Robin full speed and scrambled onto the bench beside him.

“Thank you, boy! I can well use it!” He ruffled his son’s hair and took a plate of cheeses, meats, and grapes that David offered, nodding his appreciation to the man. As he munched he half-listened to a constant flow of words from Roland that described his day and its discoveries, although in terms sometimes very hard to follow. He let the eager, disorganized rambling flow over him like a burbling stream, until they suddenly hit a concrete dam.

“Papa, what’s a red neck?” Roland asked. Robin nearly spat out the cheese in his mouth.

“What, son?”

“A red neck. I don’t think it’s just someone who has a sunburn,” he explained. 

Robin pondered how to answer. He decided to delay. “Why are you asking, Roland?”

“Well, Henry was telling me that I am his half-brother and that Peter and Priscilla are also my half-brothers, but they aren’t related to him at all. And his grandfather, Prince Sheriff,” Roland pointed at David -- he had overcome the confusion of David being both Storybrooke’s sheriff and an Enchanted Forest prince by combining the titles. “Prince Sheriff is my half-brother’s grandfather but he is also my stepbrother-in-law once removed because Mama Gina is his stepmother and my stepmother. That’s when Prince Sheriff said that rednecks and medium evil royalty have a lot in common.” Without a pause, Roland moved on to another question. “Did people use to call Mama Gina the Evil Queen because she used to be one of those medium evil royals? And since we’re not royal, are we rednecks?”

The adults, except Robin and Marian, were nearly purple from trying not to laugh. Robin groaned. Henry rushed in and saved the day.

“Hey squirt, you’re royalty, too, but the word is MED-evil and it doesn't mean evil at all -- it's just the way it's pronounced. We all are royalty because we’re either related to Regina, or Snow, or David, or King Richard’s family,” Henry explained.

“That’s right. Your father is related to King Richard’s family as is your mother. My family is related to the King’s as well,” Sir Guy pitched in.

Roland’s eyes grew big. “Does that mean I’m a prince like Henry? Do I get a crown?” His face suddenly fell. “Does that mean I can’t be a thief anymore?”

Now Marian groaned. Snow came to the rescue this time.

“Sweetheart, did you know that in the other realm that your father is known as the Prince of Thieves? I used to read my students stories about him. I think that means you can be both royal and a thief, but back home in Storybrooke, we’re not royalty and you and your father are certainly not thieves. We’re all just good people and loving family.”

Roland nodded his head and looked up at his father. “Papa, when can I start real school?” Robin sighed in relief. At last, a softball question. Roland had been in a summer program to help the first-time cursed children become oriented before starting school for the first time, but it wasn’t, as Roland noted, ‘real school.’

“Very soon. Are you looking forward to it?”

Roland nodded his head. “Henry said we can go to school together and sometimes, afterwards, he’ll take me for ice cream and that I’ll have nice teachers like Aunt Snow.”

Robin hugged his son and his run-on sentence. “Lots of nice teachers and a little ice cream. Very soon.”

Robin’s brow furrowed. There was a little matter of a war looming. He did not want to miss his son’s first day of ‘real’ school, but it might prove unavoidable.

“Papa Guy, if I’m half-brother to Peter and Priscilla, are you their half-father?”

Sir Guy laughed. “No, Roland, I’m their full father.”

“How do you know?” Roland asked innocently.

Sir Guy’s mouth opened and then shut.

Robin smirked and looked over to Peter and Priscilla, who had taken advantage of the distracted state of the adults to sneak berries from a bowl and use them to thoroughly paint one another’s faces.

“Because, my full son, only your Papa Guy could be the full father of children such as those two,” Robin said inclining his head toward the youngest among them.

Marian let out a soft screech and ran over to the children, whispering to her husband as she passed, “Did he say FULL or FOOL?”

Sir Guy shrugged. “Probably interchangeable at this point.”

 

Storybrooke

Rebecca checked her watch yet again. The Mayor and the Wonderland guests should be showing up any time now. She glanced over her shoulder at the Mayor’s Mercedes. Regina hadn’t asked her to have her car available, but Rebecca knew Regina liked driving. She hoped it hadn’t been presumptuous to bring it. 

Emma caught the glance Rebecca gave the car. “Regina will be happy to see her car. She loves that thing,” she said.

Rebecca sighed in relief and gave a small smile. Emma wasn’t one of her favorite people, but Rebecca did appreciate that she was trying to be nice. She glanced at Hook who was standing next to Emma, but seemingly paying no attention to the conversation.

“It looks really good, too. Very nicely detailed. And I’m sure the mechanic has it in tiptop shape, as often as you’ve had it over there lately,” Emma said.

Rebecca flushed red. “Michael Tillman is a very good mechanic and I wanted the car to be perfect when she returned.”

“Tillman’s a great mechanic,” Emma agreed. “And a really good man. He thinks the world of you. Why, I can’t stop by the garage with my car without him asking about you.”

Rebecca went a little redder and her voice squeaked a bit. “Really?”

Emma hummed a yes. “Since he’s a single father, he was asking me what it was like being a single mom and whether that held me back when I was thinking about dating Killian. Seems he’s a little nervous that a certain single young lady might find a man with two kids kind of a burden.”

“Oh, no! Not ever!” Rebecca cried.

“You know, if a lady wanted to prove that, she might want to think about accidentally being at the garage the same time as the kids get out of daycare, which is in about 20 minutes. Maybe offer to take them for an ice cream or something while their Dad finishes up working,” Emma said nonchalantly and reached into her pocket. “I just happen to have a couple of coupons for free ice cream. If someone was interested in doing such a thing.”

The coupons were out of her hand in a flash. “Regina won’t fire me if I’m not here to meet her, will she?”

“I’ll make sure your job’s safe.”

Rebecca squeezed Emma’s arm, dropped the Mercedes keys in her hand, and disappeared.

Hook glanced down at the keys in Emma’s hand. “Either that was a clever but convoluted scheme to steal the Queen’s car, or you are a hopeless romantic.”  
“Neither. Just doing my part to ensure that everyone gets their happy ending,” Emma said with a smile.

“You know, for we brave men of the sea, the phrase ‘happy ending’ can have a rather different mean-“ Emma put a finger against his lips.

“Don’t spoil my moment with an off-color joke,” she said. “Save it for a more private time,” she added in a whisper. Hook was distracted enough by the thought that he almost missed the ground exploding outward as The White Rabbit’s portal arrived.

 

Kingdom of Corona

Roland insisted on sleeping with his ‘full papa’ to keep him company since Regina was away. Robin thought this a bit impractical since he would be up much earlier than Roland as he needed to spend some extra training time with the new knights. Roland was adamant, however.

“I have to, Papa. Leroy’s not here to protect the door from the bad man,” Roland explained. Robin’s heart softened. He hadn’t realized that Roland thought that the man who had attacked Regina was still alive.

“Roland, the bad man who hurt your Mama Gina can’t hurt anyone anymore. We’re safe,” Robin explained gently.

“No, papa, not THAT bad man — he’s dead. The bad man who always stands at the end of this hall,” Roland explained patiently.

“At the end of this hall? Do you mean Martin? Why do you think he is a bad man?” Robin asked.

“Cuz he has a mean look on his face when he doesn’t think anyone is looking and he laughs like nothing is funny,” Roland said.

Robin tried to think of a single time that he had seen Martin smile or laugh and could not find one in his memory. “Roland, when did you hear Martin laugh?”

“The night before Mama Gina left for Storybrooke. I was playing hide and seek in the upper hall and he was going up the stairs to the chapel tower carrying a bunch of papers. He was smiling to himself and laughing a little but it wasn’t a happy laugh. It was like how the bad men laugh in the cartoons Henry showed me back in Storybrooke,” Roland said.

Robin went pale. He strode to a desk in the corner and pulled out some of the parchment that had been taken down from the walls of the chapel. “Son, did the paper he was carrying look like this?” Roland nodded. Robin threw the parchment onto the floor and picked his son up. “We have to go tell everyone about Martin.”

 

Storybrooke

With a hand from Leroy, Regina clambered out of the White Rabbit’s portal followed closely by Anastasia. Will Scarlet was by his love’s side in an instant and whisked her away with barely enough time for a wave to her traveling companions.

Regina smirked as she watched them leave. “He’s a bit impatient, isn’t he? It’s only been a few days!”

“A few more than that here, I’m afraid. More like two weeks,” Emma said.

“Two weeks! School will be starting soon! I have to get the boys back here to do the school shopping!” Regina huffed.

“The school supply lists are out — we can do most of the shopping without them, but we do have to get clothes,” Emma replied.

“I have no clue what supplies or clothes children would need for school, but it seems to me that mothers with magic ought to be able to manage fairly efficiently,” he said soothingly.

Regina wasn’t so ready to be soothed. “Always taking the easy way out, pirate.”

“Wait a minute!” Emma interjected. Regina was only half-surprised that she would defend Hook. “You’re talking! The Rabbit said you couldn’t after the attack!” Emma said.

“Oh, yes. Anastasia had an old home remedy that cured it,” Regina replied. “I’m all better now. Just back so that I can do a thorough check-up with Dr. Whale. Speaking of check-ups,” she nodded her head toward her car, “I assume Rebecca’s had that well taken care of at Tillman’s garage.”

Emma handed over the keys. “Yup. You could say that all systems are go.”

Hook raised his eyebrows. “Oh, so the setting up of the Mayor’s assistant with the Mechanic Tillman was a joint venture!”

“Nothing of the sort. Opportunities were provided. Whether Ms. Farmer and Mr. Tillman took advantage of those opportunities was completely up to them,” Regina intoned regally. “Now, pirate, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like a private word with my son’s birth mother.”

Hook rolled his eyes but moved away. Regina scanned to make sure that her bodyguards were not close enough to hear and then began moving toward her car, Emma in tow.

“So, anything new on Gold?” she asked quietly.

“Not a thing,” Emma admitted. “I’ve been watching him, but other than a few extra pounds from eating too much ice cream at my surveillance spot, I haven’t picked up anything. What about you? Are you really okay? Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine. I’m just going to go home, take a real shower, and then head to the hospital to see Dr. Whale,” she hesitated a moment. “There is something you can do for me, though. Confidentially.”

Emma shrugged. “Sure — what is it?”

She looked Emma in the eye and hoped she wasn’t opening herself up to ridicule. “Could you find me a copy of the Bible? I know I could get one from the Mother Superior, but I don’t feel like dealing with her… superiority,” she said slowly. Emma raised her eyebrows but made no more comment than “you got it. I’ll bring one around to your house this afternoon.”

 

Martin and Leroy watched the Mayor drive off.

“Are you sure no one will attack her while she’s alone?” Martin asked.

“She’s got a protection spell on her house and on her car. She’ll be fine. We should meet her at the hospital in a couple of hours, though, just to make sure things are good there,” Leroy responded. Martin nodded. That should work out perfectly. It shouldn’t be hard to find the mayor’s house and dispatch her there. The house might have a protection spell on it, but she’d let her trusted Corona bodyguard in, wouldn’t she? When she didn’t turn up at the hospital, Leroy would come looking for her. He would find her dead and her house papered with her misdeeds.


	21. Loss

STORYBROOKE

Regina hadn’t realized how much she missed her home until it came into view as she turned on to Mifflin Street. At the same time, she realized how very, very tired she felt. She wanted nothing more than to get inside and lie down for just a few minutes before going to see Dr. Whale. She pulled into the driveway quickly and parked, in a hurry now to get inside. She hurried up the walk and grasped the door handle. A strange tingle came through her arm. It made her pause for a second and then she realized that it was only the protection spell. The last few weeks, without her magic, she had forgotten what it felt like.

Once inside the door, she just stood there for a moment, breathing in the smell of home. Which, at this particular moment, also seemed to smell of stale dirty laundry. Her nose led her to the laundry room where a basket of Henry and Roland’s clothes had been unceremoniously dumped, presumably in preparation for a sorting and washing that never took place. Regina shook her head. When Henry returned there would be a little less play time for him for awhile until he learned about completing chores.

Regina made quick work of the sorting and loading, but the repeated bending and straightening had made her slightly light-headed and woozy. Time to go upstairs and lie down, she told herself. On the way, she picked up toys that had been neglected in the living room. By the time she reached the stairs, her arms were full and she knew there would be no time for a nap before her appointment. 

As she reached the top of the stairs, several things happened at once. There was a knock at the door, startling her into turning too quickly, which in turn made the toys in her arms shift precipitously, throwing off her balance. She was just about to drop the toys and grab the railing, or, failing that, use her magic to steady herself, when an excruciating pain gripped her abdomen. The toys fell as she wrapped her arms around her waist and bent double, but the pain was so fierce that she could not focus to gather her magic. She hit the stairs hard on her hip and shoulder, the momentum making her slide and role to the bottom of the wooden steps. She stopped sliding with one foot hooked into a gap in the railing and a hard thud of her head on the floor.

The knocking on the door grew more insistent accompanied by a futile twisting of the knob. Through a haze of pain and a feeling of increasing cold, Regina realized the protection spell would keep any unknown person out without her express permission. All it took was a whisper of “come in” and the door flew open. Martin stood before her, a bundle of parchment under his arm. 

Instead of bending down to help her, as she expected, he smiled. “Well, well. I came to kill the Evil Queen but it appears she may have done the job for me.”

Regina could do nothing but stare helplessly. The pain in her midsection was worsening and she knew without looking that she was bleeding. She was losing her baby. A tear trailed down her cheek.

“I could finish you now and you couldn’t stop me. But I won’t, because I know now that there is something better than killing you. It is letting you go through the misery of losing your child while feeling your life ebb away. You will still die, but not so quickly, and full of anguish. I lost my son to you. He was one of your Black Knights and you killed him. Without a second thought. And now you will lose your child,” he kneeled down next to her, dropping the parchments onto the floor.

Oddly, instead of Martin’s threatening speech plunging Regina further into despair. It made her angry. She was losing her baby. She didn’t need threats, she needed HELP, dammit! Without hardly thinking, she suddenly shot her arm upward and reached into his chest, pulling his heart out. The look of shock and surprise on his face would have been comical had she the time to think about it. She pulled the red throbbing mass toward her lips and paused, what to tell him? Explaining phones and dialing 911 might take more time than she had. It had to be simple instructions. She hissed “Go next door and get help now. If no one’s home, keep going from house to house until you find someone. Run!”

Martin stood, spinning on his heels and ran out the door, nearly knocking over Emma who was coming up the sidewalk.

“Whoa, Martin! What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Can’t stop, Princess Emma, I must go next door and get help,” he cried.

Emma looked at him in confusion, then ran up the steps.

“Oh, God, Regina!” she pulled out her phone to call an ambulance and knelt next to Regina. “Lie still. I’m calling for help.” Just then the emergency service came on the line. “This is Emma Swan. I need an ambulance NOW to 108 Mifflin St.” She hung up and gave her full attention to Regina.

“Don’t try to move, the ambulance is on its — what the hell?!? Is that a heart?” Emma exclaimed.

“Martin,” Regina breathed harshly. “Came to kill me.”

“He did this to you?” Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. “No. Got here after I fell down the stairs. Was going to let me lose the baby and die.”

“So you yanked his heart out of his chest and made him go get help. Good job, Regina!” Emma explained. She reached over and picked up the heart. “I’d better tuck this away somewhere safe before the ambulance gets here. She paused a moment and then spoke to the heart. “Stop looking for help. Go to the sheriff’s office and tell Killian Jones that I said that you are to be locked up. Confess everything,” Emma felt a little guilty about that last part. Seemed to be a circumvention of due process, but she imagined he wouldn’t stand trial in Storybrooke anyway.

The wail of an ambulance cut through Emma’s thoughts. “Help is here, Regina. Everything is going to be fine.” She quickly hid the heart in an urn on the entry table.

Dr. Whale came through the door first. “Thought I should come myself when I heard the address on the scanner. What happened?”

Emma turned quickly from the urn. “She said she fell down the stairs, but I don’t know why.”

“Fell because of pain. Here,” Regina placed a hand low on her abdomen. “Please save my baby.”

“I’ll do everything I can, Regina,” Whale promised. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”

“Regina, I’ll be at the hospital soon. I’m just going to make sure everything’s okay here and then make sure Killian took care of Martin,” Emma said patting Regina’s arm.

After Regina and the ambulance had left, Emma stared sadly down at the bloody stain on the hardwood floor and hoped that it didn’t mean what it seemed. She summoned her magic — the continued practice with the Blue Fairy was paying off — and cleaned the stain from the floor. Regina didn’t need to see that when she returned home. She picked up the toys that littered the floor and stairs and took them up to the boys’ rooms. She was annoyed to see that some of them were Henry’s. He knew better to leave things lying around. Hopefully this wasn’t a sign of the teenager stage arriving. A buzzing at the back of the house caught her attention. Regina must have been washing clothes. Well, best put them in the drawer before heading to the sheriff’s office. Even though it was the right thing to do to help Regina with these little household chores, she couldn’t help but think that Regina would be a bit annoyed at the thought of it. For some reason, that mental image made Emma smile.

On her way out of the house, Emma called Leroy and asked him to meet her at the jail. He should be there to hear Martin’s confession. She looked down at the floor while she waited for him to answer. She seemed to recall a parchment roll had been on the floor. Was it Regina’s? Martin’s? It was no where to be seen, so she assumed it had somehow wound up going to the hospital with Regina.

“Yeah,” a voice said over the phone. “Leroy, it’s Emma. Regina had a fall and is in the hospital. Martin was here when it happened. She said he didn’t cause the fall, but that he did say he had come to kill here.” A string of foul language came from the other end of the phone.

“I agree,” Emma said, “but there’s things to do right now. Martin’s at the jail. Meet me there and we’ll get a statement, but first, find the White Rabbit. He was supposed to stay in Storybrooke until Regina was ready to go back, but he needs to go get Robin now.”

Leroy caught his breath. “Is it that bad?”

Emma thought about the pool of blood on the floor. “I don’t know, but I’d rather not wait to send for Robin.”

“I’m on it,” Leroy promised and hung up.

Emma reached into her bag to pull out her keys and brushed against the reason she had come to Regina’s in the first place — the copy of the Bible Regina had asked for. She decided that she would stop go by the Sheriff’s office only long enough to make sure Martin was locked up and staying that way. Then she’d go see Regina. All of the woman’s close family were still in the Enchanted Forest and she shouldn’t have to be alone now.

————-

Regina knew what Dr. Whale was going to say even before he approached her bed after the examination. Her eyes welled with tears.

“I’m sorry, Regina, you’ve had a miscarriage,” he said somberly.

Regina caught her breath. “Why?” she asked.

He shook his head. “It’s impossible to say. A miscarriage at your age isn’t unusual. The recent attack, the portal travel may have had an impact, but honestly, this may have happened regardless. Physically, you are able to carry to full term, so there may have been something amiss with the baby, but it is frankly impossible to know exactly.”

She nodded her head and said nothing.  
“With your permission, I’d like to ask Dr. Hopper to come by. This is a very traumatic situation for you and I think it would be good for you to talk with him,” Dr. Whale said. Again Regina remained silent but nodded her head.

“Is it possible for you to get ahold of Robin? He should be here with you,” Dr. Whale asked.

Regina knew she should answer him, but she couldn’t quite form words yet. The tears began to slide from the corners of her eyes. Whale patted her hand. “I’ll give you a few minutes to collect yourself and then I’ll come back with instructions for you. I’d like to keep you here for a few more hours, but there’s no reason why you can’t sleep in your own bed tonight.”

Regina nodded again. Not long after Dr. Whale left, Emma walked in.

“Hey, Regina,” she said. “I heard the news. I’m really sorry. I asked Leroy to find the White Rabbit and send him back for Robin right away.”

“Thank you,” Regina croaked, the tears pouring freely now. Emma grabbed a box of kleenexes from the bedside table and handed them to Regina. She pulled a chair up next to the bed.

“If he’s not here before they let you leave, I’ll take you home. I can keep you company until he gets here,” Emma offered.

Regina said nothing. She didn’t want company, but she knew if she said so, Emma would protest and she didn’t feel like arguing right now. She just wanted to let the emptiness she was feeling swallow her. Her mind was numb and Emma’s company was dull ache at the base of her skull.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Emma reached into her bag. “Here’s the bible you wanted — that’s why I had gone to your place, to drop it off.” Emma handed it over.

Regina took the book. It wasn’t new, but it didn’t look like it had been opened often. Not like the one King Richard had given her — its pages were worn from usage and the binding cracked from being held open long hours at a time. This one was smaller, too, and had no illuminations or even illustrations, she noted as she idly let the pages flip by from back to front. It was a mechanical action only, she really was only paying cursory attention. Emma chatted about the book as Regina flipped the pages

“I decided not to go to the Convent to get one,” she said. “I have had this one since I was nine or ten. One of the foster families I stayed with was very religious. Every kid got a bible of their own. I would have preferred a comic book at that age. I don’t know why I kept it. I’ve never opened it.”

On the inside of the front cover, Regina discovered a scrawled message that read “Dearest Emma, Given to you on your first day as part of our family in the hopes that one day you will discover within these pages that you are a member of the family of God. In His family, no matter where you are, you are never alone.” It ended with the name of the family and a date. Regina turned the bible toward Emma and pointed out the note.

“Well, I’ll be darned! I never knew that was there! I guess maybe I should have opened it up a long time ago,” Emma said.

Regina scowled at Emma, more from habit than from any real emotion, but she was too tired to hold the look long. Her eyes drifted closed and she finally fell asleep. Emma tucked the bible under Regina’s arm and then got up quietly and went to go check on Leroy’s progress in finding the White Rabbit. She didn’t like how quiet Regina had become. It was scary in a way far worse than Evil Queen scary. They needed Robin back, and quickly.


	22. Numb

KINGDOM OF CORONA

“Your Majesty, please, there must be some way to get back to Storybrooke now,” Robin pleaded. He and Sir Guy had found the two Kings in the ‘war room’ as Sir Guy had dubbed it. Amidst the bustling pages and harried knights making battle plans and finding space for refugees, Robin knew he was diverting the attention of two key leaders, but he didn’t care.

The King of Corona shook his head. “I am terribly sorry, Sir Robert, but I know of only two ways to get to that realm — with the White Rabbit or by persuading a mermaid to take you. It’s two days ride to the coast from here and who knows if you would find an amenable mermaid there?” 

Robin’s shoulders fell. Sir Guy placed a hand on his arm. “I know it is difficult, my friend, but waiting for the White Rabbit to return is the only way,” he said.

Robin wished mightily for hundredth time since he had learned about Martin that there was someone among Corona’s or Richard’s people who was a friendly purveyor of magic. At least they might be able to enchant a mirror and allow him to see if Regina was alright. He knew she wasn’t though. There was a coldness around his heart. He prayed that it didn’t mean that his heart’s other half, where it rested within Regina, beats no more.

“I am truly sorry, Sir Robert,” Corona said again. “I have only known Martin to be a faithful guard and I am still hopeful that young master Roland may have been mistaken in some respect. But to be sure, I’ve sent our sheriff to look over Martin’s lodgings and question his friends.”

“Thank you, sire,” Robin replied with a tone of despair. A messenger came and distracted the Kings. Sir Guy shared his friend’s fears for Regina, but knew there was nothing they could do at this moment. And King Richard’s and Corona’s resources were fully engaged on the crisis with King George and Prince John.

“Robin,” Sir Guy began, “Henry and Roland need you now. Go to them. As soon as the White Rabbit returns, we’ll reunite you with your soulmate, but for now your place is with the boys. I’ll be here helping with the attack plans. We have to strike soon or else there will be no one left in the Kingdom to save.”

Robin nodded. It seemed like days ago that the battle planning had consumed his every moment, but it had really only been hours. His priorities had undergone a complete turnaround in a matter of minutes. All he could think of was Regina right now, but Sir Guy was right — the boys needed him. He turned away and headed to the family rooms, hoping that he could hide the growing numbness he felt.

 

STORYBROOKE

Regina’s eyes opened slowly and took in the pale green walls of the hospital room without really seeing them. She wondered why she only felt numb — shouldn’t she be angry? Sad? She was crying again, the tears sliding silently down her cheeks, but it was as if her eyes were acting on their own. She didn’t feel any of the emotions that went with the tears. Nothing seemed real. Not the hospital room, not her tears, not even her own existence in that moment. She vaguely remembered feeling this way once before — when Daniel had been murdered. The numbness had gotten her through the following days but then the numbness turned to anger, revenge, and evil.

A part of her brain that still had some functioning wondered whether it would happen again. Would she once more obsess on the person responsible for the loss of her loved one? Who was that person this time? The only person she could think of to blame was herself. She had been responsible for the deaths of so many sons and daughters. Martin was right, she deserved to feel the pain their mothers and fathers felt. She knew the numbness would eventually wear off and then she would feel that pain in spades. And she didn’t want to be here when she did. She looked around for her clothes and then realized that they were likely ruined.

She tried to concentrate enough to poof herself home, or at least produce some clothes for herself, but to no avail. She sat up a bit in bed. She had to figure this out. She had to get home.

A knock at the door intruded on her thoughts. Her assistant, Rebecca, shoved the door partly open. “Madam Mayor? Is it all right if I come in?”

“Yes, please,” Regina answered. Excellent. Rebecca could go get her clothes and take her home.

Apparently, Rebecca had already been thinking along those lines. “I hope you don’t mind, but I went to your house after Emma told me what had happened. I picked up some comfy clothes for you. I wasn’t sure if you were going home tonight, so I brought night clothes and slippers, too.”

“Excellent thinking, Rebecca,” Regina said. “I definitely need the comfy clothes, but hopefully, I’ll be going home soon and I will need your help for that.”

“Of course. Anything I can do, I will,” Rebecca promised. “Mayor Mills? I just, I just wanted to say how terribly sorry I am. You must be devastated.”

“Yes, thank you,” was Regina’s reply. Yes, she must be devastated. That would come, she was sure, but the numbness was her friend right now. It would get her home.

As if on cue, Dr. Whale came in. “Hello Miss Farmer. Would you mind giving Regina and I a few minutes?”

Rebecca nodded, but Regina raised a hand to stop her. “It’s all right, Dr. Whale, you can tell me whatever you need to in front of Rebecca.”

“All right,” he conceded. “I’m going to allow you to go home so long as you follow, explicitly, these instructions: No driving, no exercise, no lifting, no stairs without assistance for three days. Lots of sleep. Your muscles are going to be very sore tomorrow from the fall. You probably don’t realize it yet, but you sprained your right ankle, so even if you wanted to break my orders, you can’t.” He handed Regina a slip of paper. “This is a prescription for a sedative and mild pain reliever. You probably won’t need it tonight, but you almost certainly will tomorrow.”

Rebecca took the prescription from Regina. “I’ll take care of this and I can make sure she gets home without any straining. I’m sure we’ll have found the White Rabbit by then and gotten Mr. Locksley home to take care of her by tomorrow.”

Regina raised her eyebrows. “Emma hasn’t found the rabbit yet?”

Rebecca shook her head. “No, ma’am. He’s in town somewhere but we don’t know where just yet. Shouldn’t be too much longer. She texted me right before I got here that she’d managed to, uh, disentangle Will Scarlet from Ana and that he had an idea where the rabbit might be.”

Regina nodded. She wanted her husband with her, but how to tell him that she had lost their child? How would he react? She didn’t know if she could handle both his grief and her own. She prayed she would stay numb long enough for him to get home.  
————

“Are you sure about this, Will? You said the White Rabbit was going to a spa — this is no spa,” Emma said as they approached the door of Petunia’s Pet Pampering Pavilion.

“For him it is — he goes here every time he is in town. Petunia even stocks carrot juice just for him,” Will responded as he pushed open the door. Once in the empty reception area, Will planted his feet and bellowed: “Oye! Rabbit! We got an emergency that requires your assistance!”

A mumbling and groaning came from a back room. “Alright, alright!” The White Rabbit, wearing a pink robe with four P’s embroidered on the left breast peeked around the corner. “Do I have time to dry my fur first?”

Will looked at Emma who nodded. “Yes,” Will answered. “But put the blow dryer on high!”

 

KINGDOM OF CORONA

It took quite awhile, but Robin finally managed to get Roland to go to sleep. Robin watched him from the far side of the room as he and Henry spoke in low voices. The numbness he felt didn’t seem to be dispelling.

“Don’t worry, Robin,” Henry said for the eighth time. “Mom will be all right. She smart — I mean REALLY smart. She’ll figure it out and even if she doesn’t figure it out quickly, she’s got at least some magic back so she can protect herself.”

Robin nodded. He hadn’t told Henry that he was sure something had already happened.

“And we’ll go back as soon as we can. I found a spot on the parapets where I can see the field the rabbit uses for portals, I’ll stand guard there so that we know the moment he arrives,” Henry promised.

“Thank you, Henry. Excellent thinking. You should go to bed now. We’ll need you up on that parapet at first light,” Robin directed.

“Sure thing!” Henry sprang to his feet, happy that his idea had been met with approval and thrilled that there was something that he could do to help.

 

STORYBROOKE

Rebecca had gotten Regina home and settled into bed with little difficulty and not a single complaint from the Mayor. That part worried Rebecca. Her boss was a passionate woman — the icy calm emanating from her unsettling to say the least. Rebecca had just finished making some tea and was taking it upstairs when she heard a low moan come from the room. She hurried forward.

Regina was lying in bed, her face twisted and her hands clenched. Rebecca set the tea on the night stand. “Madam Mayor, are you all right? Can I get you something?”

The numbness was leaving Regina and an overwhelming mix of anger and despair was coursing through her. When that happened after Daniel died, Regina had locked herself in a room and broken everything in sight. That was before she had magic. Now she felt the magic welling up and she knew an explosion was imminent.  
“Get out of the house! Now!” Regina commanded Rebecca. Rebecca hesitated. She didn’t want to leave Regina in such obvious distress. The lights began to flicker and the tea cup began to rattle in its saucer.

“Run!” Regina screamed. Rebecca waited no longer. She just managed to shut the bedroom door in time when she heard the light bulbs pop and the sounds of breaking glass. The hall light began flickering over her head as the wave of magic began to surge past the bedroom. Rebecca ran for the front door and managed to just grab her keys and purse before the chandelier in the foyer crashed down. She took one last look and then went to stand on the front lawn. She wanted to be sure the destruction stayed confined to the house. The building shook and lights exploded on the porch, but it seemed not to spread past the house. The sounds of destruction were mixed with a horrific sobbing that seemed to come from the foundations of the structure itself, but Rebecca knew their real source. The Queen was quiet no more.

Rebecca reached for her phone. Emma and her magic needed to get here fast.


	23. Pain

KINGDOM OF CORONA

Robin bolted upright in bed, his breathing difficult and tight bands of pain wrapping around his heart. Roland stirred next to him but did not wake. Robin slipped out of bed and grabbing a fur throw for his shoulders ventured out into the dark hallway to catch his breath and sort out the cause of his discomfort. Though the air was frigid, his insides felt on fire. Whereas earlier he had felt a coldness gripping his heart, now he felt a fiery sensation and a twisting. He could not catch his breath as if from sobbing. The feeling was so intense he put a hand to his face to verify that his cheeks were dry.

“Are you all right, my friend?” 

Robin looked up to see King Richard approaching, a young manservant behind him holding out a candle to light the path.

“I am, Sire, but I fear my wife is not. Something has happened. I am sure of it,” Robin looked desperately at his King. 

“Come to my sitting room, Sir Robert. I was about to knock on your door anyway to see how you fared,” the King said.

“Sire, I appreciate that, but Roland sleeps within and I do not wish to leave him alone,” Robin said between heavy breaths. The King turned to the servant behind him and gestured for him to pass over the candle.

“Young Darren, would you be so kind as to stay with the little boy? I, Sir Robert, and your candle will return soon,” the King said in a kind, but commanding voice. Darren dipped his head and slipped into the room. The King waved for Sir Robert to follow him to the King’s rooms.

Once there, the King wasted no time. “Now, obviously you are in some kind of physical pain. You think this is is what Regina is feeling?”

Robin hesitated. “It manifests physically, but it seems more… emotional,” he supplied.

“Do you have an idea of what these emotions may mean?” the King asked softly.

Robin turned a little away from the gaze of the King and looked into the blazing fireplace that roared near their chairs. “It feels like… loss. Like grief.”

The King sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. If not for a slight movement of his lips and his fingers caressing a small, worn cross that hung from his neck, it would have seemed as if he slept. His eyes slowly opened. “I pray you are wrong, Robin,” he whispered.

The use of his nickname by the King took him by surprise. Even when he was a young boy, and everyone called him Robin, young Prince Richard had insisted upon using his proper name.

“I do, too, Sire,” Robin said, emotion clogging his throat. The King held out his hand to the younger man. “Come, my friend, let us kneel together and pray for strength for ourselves and for our dearest Regina,” he said. Robin nodded and knelt on the thick carpet, half-facing the King and half facing the fire. He bowed his head as the King began to speak.

“Heavenly Father, We come to thee on bended knee to seek your strength in this time of uncertainty and turmoil. Fill our hearts with your love and fortitude. Make it so that your light shines beyond this realm and finds our friend, our beloved Regina, in this time of darkness. Give her comfort, if she is in pain. Grant her strength if she is weak. Lead her to hope if she is in despair. Show her the truth of the words of King David: ‘Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.’ Guide her safely through the shadows, Father. Hold her in your loving embrace as her own dear husband would if only he could reach her. I pray your Divine plan brings them back together soon. Thine is the Kingdom and the Glory. Forever and Ever.”

After a slight pause, both men said “Amen” but neither rose from their knees, but simply gazed into the fire and continued to silently pray. A loud knocking disturbed their reverie. “Enter!” the King called as he and Robin rose to their feet.

H and Henry rushed through the door. H remembered to stop and bow his head to his King, but Henry rushed to Robin.

“Dad! Dad! Uh, I mean, Robin,” Henry said and rushed on before Robin even had a moment to enjoy being called Dad by Henry. “The Rabbit’s back! We saw the ground explode and then we could see him climb up out of the hole.”

“He brought one person with him, Sire,” H continued. “The distance was too great to identify who, but it appears to be a man.”

The King nodded. “Prince Henry, Sir Henry, well done. Now, gentlemen, please go alert Corona’s night watch that visitors approach. Sir Robert and I will join you momentarily to greet the visitors in the Great Hall.”

After they left, King Richard turned to Robin with a smile. “Well, Sir Robert, I am a devout believer in the power of prayer, but that produced results far sooner than I expected.”

 

STORYBROOKE

The energy cooked off of Regina like oil in a too hot pan. Her pain, her sorrow, her despair roiled in almost visible waves and sought outlet in destruction. Suddenly, there was nothing left to break within the house but there was still so much wild force left in her that needed to come out. She could stretch out beyond the house and carry the destruction into the neighborhood. Into the homes of all those cozy families and their hum drum lives. Why shouldn’t they feel some of the pain that she did? Because, a little voice said in the back of her mind, no one deserves to feel this kind of pain. Not even you.

She screamed at the voice and in a whirl of her hands she, and most of her room, disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

Outside the house, Emma had pulled up and joined Rebecca.

“It just settled down,” Rebecca reported. “Sparks and glass were still flying a few seconds ago.”

Just then a scream and a purple flash rent the air. Emma rushed inside, Rebecca close on her heels.

Emma sensed the epicenter of the magic and followed it into what had been the master bedroom.

“What happened?” Rebecca gasped. A circular chunk of the room was gone.

“I’m guessing she poofed out of here and her aim is a little off,” Emma said. “She’s probably in her vault. It’s where she goes when she feels vulnerable. Or evil.” She looked around her with a grim face.

“Hey! Stop that! No wonder she ever went evil in the first place with a great support network like you!” Rebecca stormed.

Emma’s jaw dropped. Rebecca was usually pretty reticent, even shy, but now she was livid. Emma was about to spring to her own defense and say that she wasn’t even born when Regina went evil when Rebecca charged on.

“How in the world do you expect any one to ever change unless you LET THEM! Regina needs our support - not our doubts!” Rebecca cried.

Emma put her hands out in a calming gesture. “You’re right. I’m sorry. As a former delinquent I ought to be able to remember that,” she said. Rebecca seemed to calm down.

“Say, Rebecca,” Emma said with a slight smile, “have you ever poofed anywhere?”

Rebecca shook her head.

“Care to try poofing to Regina’s vault with me?” Emma held out a hand in invitation to Rebecca. Rebecca took it slowly and then closed her eyes as Emma concentrated on performing the magic. She opened back up the eye closest to Emma.

“Wait a minute, what do you mean TRY poofing?” But it was too late, they were already poofing, and were suddenly nose-to-stone with Regina’s vault.

“Umm, did you mean to get us this close?” Rebecca asked. Emma checked to make sure that no part of her or Rebecca was actually stuck in the stone.

“Like the pilots say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one! We’re both here and whole and we didn’t bring any extra pieces of the bedroom with us. We’re good!” Emma said with a hint of glee. “Now let’s see if we can’t help our friend.”

————  
Deep inside the vault, Regina waited for another explosion of energy, but it didn’t come. She could feel it start to splutter upward through her veins, but then it sank back down, leaving her drained of anger. She fell to the floor as the tears and sobs overcame her. She was surrounded by bits and pieces from her room and the plastic bag of possessions she had brought home from the hospital, the contents strewn around her.

There were her bloodied travel clothes, her keys, the picture of Robin, Roland and Henry taken at the wedding that was always with her. She picked it up and held it against her chest. “I miss you. I need you,” she whispered. She rocked back and forth cradling the picture, staring at the ground. Her eyes focused on a book amidst the debris — the bible Emma had brought her. A piece of parchment had become lodged in its pages. One of the pieces Martin had taken to her house.

Regina dragged the bible and the parchment toward her. The poorly spelled account was different than the others she had seen. In this one, one of the witness refused to pass judgment. The other witnesses talked about how the Evil Queen had strode into the town market and struck one of the women vendors dead without hardly a second glance, for no reason than pure evil, then walked away smiling. This witness, though, had something else to say. She was the daughter of the murdered woman. She said maybe her mother had been murdered for no reason, but maybe there was one. Only the Queen and the Good Lord knew that. All the girl knew, she said, was that her mother had been beating her brutally, yet again, and was about to take a swing at her head with an iron skillet when suddenly her mother dropped to the ground dead. “If the Queen hadn’ta kilt me mother, I’d be the dead ‘un. The Queen is for God ta judge, not me.”

“And how has He judged me, then? Unworthy to mother a child?” Regina said to herself. She opened the bible to the pages separated by the parchment. It was the second book of Samuel. She had not read that far yet. The page started several verses into chapter 12 and was about the death of King David’s young son.

"22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?  
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. Regina wondered whether she would go to her baby one day. Was there any chance God would judge her worthy? David had prayed for his child while alive, while there was still a chance. Were prayers only for the living? She hadn’t prayed for her baby while living. Had wishes, oh, so many wishes for the child. And hopes and fears. But no true prayers. She’d only recently begun to learn about prayer at all. Would God even hear the prayers of an Evil Queen? The words swirled around her head like the debris in her bedroom had at the height of her rage.

She closed her eyes and tried to pray. There were no words, just pictures in her mind, mostly of her family’s smiling faces. She could feel love filling her heart and it seemed as if Robin’s arms were holding her. She relaxed into the feeling.

————  
Emma and Rebecca edged deeper and deeper into the vault until their attention was caught by a soft white light from a doorway on the far side of the chamber. The light glowed brightly then rapidly faded. The women ran through the door and found a room littered with items from Regina’s bedroom, but no Regina.

“Well where the hell did she go this time?” Emma asked in an exasperated voice.


	24. Poof

KINGDOM OF CORONA

The Great Hall was bustling even though it was late in the evening. The Queen of Corona’s generous opening of the Kingdom to all refugees had opened the floodgates and they streamed in at all hours. As did defecting forces. The barbarous methods employed by King George against combatants and innocents alike were alienating the men under Prince John whose families were among the victims in the destroyed villages. King George and his men were basically mercenaries. King George’s men fought for pay and what they could loot. King George fought to regain an entire kingdom, although to Prince John he claimed he wanted only a portion of Nottinghamshire. And so the Great Hall was a mix of haggard peasants and bewildered soldiers who were being given direction and assistance by Corona’s people.

Nowhere in the crowd, though, did Robin see Henry or H. King Richard spotted one of Corona’s night watch and hailed the man.

“Good Soldier, do you know where the Captain of the Watch may be? I sent Sir Henry and young Prince Henry to alert him to visitors arriving from the portal, but I see neither he nor the young men,” the King asked.

The soldier nodded. “Aye sir, they did find him and report this news. Then they and the Captain and some of the other men went to greet the travelers and escort them in,” he said.

“Henry!” Robin muttered under his breath. The lad was too young to be outside the castle, even if he was with a squad of soldiers. He was already racing to the castle gates when a great clamor arose from beyond the walls. The outer perimeter of guards were calling for reinforcements. As he reached the gate, he grabbed one of the men and asked what was happening.

“Sir, the lookouts say the squad that went out to meet the travelers is being attacked. We’re calling up extra forces to protect the castle gate while we go to the aid of the squad — just in case it’s a ruse to leave the gate undefended,” the young man said.

Robin nodded -- he had used that tactic successfully himself once or twice. “Good thinking, but I’m going now.” He grabbed a sword from the rack by the gate and turned to run into the night. A voice stopped him.

“You’ll have company, my friend,” Sir Guy called from behind him. He was dressed in full chain mail and carried a sword that was more than half his own considerable height. “The guard alerted me and King Richard just filled me in that Henry is out there. Let’s go get him.”

Robin could run faster, unhindered as he was by armor, but Sir Guy’s long legs kept him not far behind. They could hear the clash of swords ahead of them and what was undoubtedly the high whiny screams of a rabbit.

As Guy and Robin topped a slight rise in the path they could see the fight clearly in the bright moonlight. H and Henry were standing back to back, each with a sword in hand fending off a pair of soldiers in King George’s colors. Two of Corona’s guard lay injured or dead with an enemy soldier lying with them. Two more of Corona’s men were battling a pair of enemy soldiers and Will Scarlet was crossing swords with a soldier who held his blade in one hand and the White Rabbit by the ears in the other.

Robin couldn't help but notice that Henry was doing tolerably well against his opponent, but was flagging. King George's soldier managed to rake the tip of his sword against Henry’s arm, drawing blood, but not severely injuring him. Henry knocked the sword away and made a thrust that forced the soldier to move back. Robin ran up behind the man and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.

Henry spun to help H with his attacker and the man was soon disarmed. Guy, as he ran toward Will and the Rabbit, paused long enough to knock one of the other attackers off-balance, giving the two Corona guards a chance to subdue the two they fought. Guy swept his long arm around and brought his blade swiftly to the neck of the final soldier.

“Drop the rabbit or lose your head,” he said through gritted teeth. The man dropped the rabbit and his sword as well.

“I surrender. We surrender,” the man said.

“Did King George send you to kidnap the White Rabbit? Why?” Will asked, his sword menacingly close to the man’s chest.

The solder shook his head. “No. The King sent us to watch the castle for a few days and report back. You weren’t supposed to know we were here,” he said.

“Then why attack?” Sir Guy asked.

“We saw the rabbit make a hole yesterday and a small group of people climb into it. Everyone was waving them goodbye and wishing them a good journey, so we knew the hole had to go somewhere. Then, tonight another hole exploded from the ground and we saw these two,” he nodded at Will and the White Rabbit, “crawl out. So we figured we would nab the rabbit and force him to take us away from here.”

The White Rabbit, who was hiding behind Will’s legs and rubbing his sore, mistreated ears, peaked around Will at the man. “But where did you want me to take you?”

“Anywhere but here. We just wanted to get away,” he said.

“Wait a minute, I know you,” David had just joined the group as had reinforcements from the castle. “You’ve been with King George a long time. Why would you desert?”

“George has gone insane. He kills our ally’s people without remorse and it won’t be long before he turns on the rest of us, too,” the soldier said.

“Is that what you think or do you have some evidence for this?” David asked. The soldier didn’t answer but looked over at one of his compatriots who had also been taken captive. It was an older man.

“It’s a mix of both, Prince James,” he bowed slightly to David. “You may remember me, Sire, I am Geraint and I have long served as part of your father’s personal guard. He has become extremely suspicious of everyone around him. It’s why I’m here on this mission. He still trusts me and wanted me to keep an eye on the rest.” He paused for a moment. “I overheard him, before I came on this mission, saying that if he did not win this war then he would slaughter everyone responsible for losing it, including his own men. He has truly gone mad. He has sought the help of a magical being — whether it is a dark fairy or witch or wizard — I do not know.”

“And so you are deserting to save your own skin, Geraint?” Robin asked.

“Yes, and no. I can no longer watch the King slaughter whole villages, but if I try to stand up to him, I will be killed instantly, saving no one and sacrificing myself. Seeing what the Rabbit could do made me think there was a third way out.”

Guy stared the man in the eye for a moment, and then instructed the Corona guards to take the prisoners, except Geraint, away. This left only the one captive, Henry, H, Will, the Rabbit, Guy, Robin and David standing on the path. Once the other group was out of earshot, Guy addressed the prisoner again.

“What if there was a way that you could fight back, that you could help people?” he asked.

“How?” the older man said.

“By going back and being our ears in King George’s inner circle,” Guy said. “You can give him a plausible story about the rest of your group being killed or captured.”

Geraint thought a moment. “How would I get messages back to you?”

“We can discuss that once I know that you are committed to doing this,” Guy said.

David raised a hand to end the exchange. “Why don’t we find a quiet place back at the castle to discuss this? Geraint and I have known each other a long time. I think we could both benefit a lot from a long conversation,” he said.

Sir Guy, H, and David escorted the prisoner back to the castle and Robin could finally direct his attention to Henry and the travelers. 

He quickly examined Henry’s arm injury and found it to be what he had thought at first — superficial. “You fought well, Henry. We’ll discuss later your severe poor judgment in coming out here, but right now, I am eager for news about your mother.” He turned to Will and the Rabbit.

“What news do you have? Was it discovered that Martin, one of Regina’s bodyguards, is an enemy?” he asked hurriedly.

Will nodded. “Martin is safely locked up in the Storybrooke jail. He confessed everything,” Will said. Robin’s eyebrows knitted together in worry at the phrase ‘confessed everything.’ Will continued his tale in order to alleviate Robin’s concern. “He didn’t hurt Regina. He intended to, but he didn’t.” He paused. “Robin, I’m very sorry to tell you this, but Regina, well, she -“

“She lost the baby,” Robin finished the sentence for Will. Scarlet nodded his head sadly.

“I’m so sorry, mate. Regina’s all right, though. She’s home from the hospital already, resting. We’ve come to take you back to be with her.”

Robin nodded. “When can we leave?”

The Rabbit sighed. “I’m sorry, but I must rest. If I tried to create a portal now, there’s no telling where, or when, we would end up.”

Robin knelt in front of the being. “I understand, friend Rabbit. It is enough to know, for now, that Regina is all right, but perhaps when you take us back, you could use your special magic to get me back soon after your last departure from Storybrooke, so that Regina will spend the shortest amount of time alone possible under the laws of your portal.”  
The White Rabbit nodded. “Yes, I can do that. I just need a few hours sleep, then we can leave.”

“I will ask our kind hosts for the most comfortable bed in the castle for you,” Robin said kindly.

 

STORYBROOKE

Emma poked her booted toe around a fine circle of dust in the middle of the room in the vault. She could feel that magic had been used here, and it felt sort of like what she perceived when Regina used magic — but not exactly so. She didn’t know enough about magic yet to be able to figure it out. She turned to Rebecca.

“Did Regina have her cell phone on her?” she asked.

Rebecca thought a moment. “I think so. At least, I think I saw her put it in the pocket of her robe before she started yelling at me to leave.”

Emma pulled out her phone. “All right. Let’s try calling her.” She hit a couple of buttons and put it on speaker. An electronic voice said the phone was not in service. Emma shut it off. “So, either the electric light show earlier killed it, or she poofed herself some place where we can’t call her.” She thought for a moment.

“Go find Mother Superior. Maybe she can help us figure this out,” Emma pulled her keys out of her pocket. “You can take my car.”

“Your car is at the mayor’s,” Rebecca said wryly. “I think it would be best if I walk. The convent’s not that far.”

Twenty minutes later, Emma heard Mother Superior and Rebecca clattering back down the stairs.

Emma looked at her pleadingly. “I’m hoping you can help us figure out where she went. The magic here feels odd to me. Sort of like Regina’s, but not. So I was thinking maybe the Wishing Star was in here and it whooshed her to Henry and Robin,” she said.

Mother Superior shook her head. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t feel like wishing magic in here. Can you describe what you saw?” she asked as she held out her hands, feeling the aura of the room.

“We didn’t see much,” Rebecca said. “There was a pearly light and a kind of humming on the skin when it was at its brightest, then it was gone.”

Mother Superior turned a little pale. Emma frowned, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“When I told you and Regina in our lessons about the highest level of white magic, I thought it would be you who would one day be able to achieve it. I never dreamed that Regina could ever do it. The sensation in this room, and your description, though, is unmistakeable. Regina transported herself from here using the most powerful white magic imaginable. It could take her anywhere — including across realms,” Mother Superior said slowly and softly. Her eyes filled with tears.

“Well, that’s great! It means that Regina is probably in The Enchanted Forest with Henry and Robin. She’s probably safe,” Emma cried excitedly. Her joy faltered as she looked at the Mother Superior’s troubled face.

“It is good, isn’t it? Why do you look so unhappy,” Emma asked.

“Because,” she said as the tears rolled down her cheeks, “It means that if Regina could do this, then she really is good now — that she is redeemed. And it means that all those years ago, when I ordered the Green Fairy to stay away from her, and told all who would hear that Regina was evil and without possibility of salvation, that I was wrong. How many people would be alive today if then, when Regina was still young, I had stood by her and helped her instead of condemning her? How much sooner would all the pain and suffering ended if I had only opened my arms instead of turning my back?”

 

KINGDOM OF CORONA

Friar Tuck was busily readying the tiny chapel atop the tower for evening prayers. The benches were in order and woolen throws stacked on the ends (the chapel was quite cold in the late evening and early morning). He had begun lighting the candles on the altar and praying as he did so. As he lit the middle candle, it seemed to light up the whole room for a moment. The affect sent a little frisson of electricity across his skin. Friar Tuck shook his head and looked more closely at the candle. It seemed to give off just a normal amount of light now. 

He put the candle he had been using to the light the others in its place and knelt before the altar to pray. His foot knocked something solid behind him and he frowned. He hadn’t seen anything on the floor there while he was tidying. He turned to look over his shoulder and was shocked to see an unconscious Regina, a bible in one hand and a photograph clutched in the other. He reached out to shake her shoulder but stopped when he heard a soft snore. Perhaps it was best to leave sleeping magicians lie. He would go find Robin and tell him his wife was back.


	25. Preparing for Battle

KINGDOM OF CORONA

Henry had an uncomfortable look on his face as he and Robin walked back to the castle in silence. The longer the silence endured, the more uncomfortable Henry appeared. Finally, he stopped walking and turned to Robin.

“Look, I’m sorry, really, really sorry, that I left the castle without saying anything, but I just so badly wanted to know how Mom was,” he said.

“I know, Henry. I completely understand,” Robin said. He paused a moment, thinking through his next words. “Had you been raised in Sherwood, in a family like mine, you would have been training with swords and hand-to-hand for years. It still would be wrong to go beyond the castle walls without your guardians’ knowledge, but, frankly, at your age I was quite often in places my parents did not know about.” Henry started to smile, and Robin joined him for a moment, but then sobered.

“But you were not raised here, so different standards apply,” he said. “And while we both know that your mother is not the Evil Queen anymore, I don’t think either of us wants to deal with her wrath over this matter.” Henry shook his head vigorously.

“So, we shall make an agreement,” Robin continued. “If you promise never to do anything so foolhardy again without letting at least me know, I will not tell your mother what you did this evening, nor will I tell her about the wound.”

“I promise!” Henry cried quickly. Robin smiled paternally and put an arm around Henry’s shoulder — being careful to avoid the slash — and turned with him to walk back to the castle.

“Of course, this also means that I can’t tell her how well you acquitted yourself in a real sword fight,” Robin said.

“You think so? Did you see? Did I really do well?” Henry asked excitedly. 

“Yes, Henry, you did. I’m proud of you. But don’t think that you’re ready for full-scale battle! You still need much more training and experience,” Robin said. For Regina’s sake he added, “Many, many, MANY years of training.”

Henry laughed. “You’re just saying that because of Mom. But that’s okay. I don’t want to cause her any more heartache.” He looked up at Robin. “I’m glad you’re in her life. She is always trying to be a better person for my sake. With you, she just simply IS a better person.”

Robin tightened his arm around Henry’s shoulder a moment. There had been a time when he worried that Henry wouldn’t accept him — would be jealous of the time Regina gave to Robin and not to Henry. But there was never anything to worry about — Henry was that rare young man who cared more about the people around him than he did for himself. He prayed it would stay that way as Henry moved farther into his teenage years!

“Do you really think she’s okay, like Will said?” Henry asked.

Robin put his free hand to his heart. It no longer hurt and the tightness was gone. There was a warmth and a kind of weary peace. If he pictured Regina in his mind based on these feelings, he imagined he would see her sleeping. 

“Don’t ask me how, but I know she’s all right, Henry,” he replied. “And tomorrow we will see it for ourselves. We’ll go back to Storybrooke with the White Rabbit. I will have to come back here to help King Richard, but you will stay on with your mother and take care of her for me.”

“I won’t be sorry to go back,” Henry said. “I thought The Enchanted Forest would be cool, and it is, but I miss real plumbing and central heating.”

“And coffee,” Robin added.

“And TV,” Henry said.

“Microwave ovens.”

“Ice cream.”

And so they walked, as much like father and son as could be, reciting the things they missed from Storybrooke. The list lasted well past the time they walked into the castle.

————-

Regina’s perception of the world around her was hazy. There had been a feeling like being in a warm embrace, but perhaps that was her imagination. The rug over the hard stone floor of her vault seemed rougher than she remembered, but she was so very tired that it didn’t matter. She laid her head down and drifted off into a deep sleep.

She didn’t notice that she was no longer in her vault at all. Didn’t feel Friar Tuck accidentally nudging her with his foot as he kneeled. Didn’t feel him throwing a tapestry over her to keep her warm.

She did notice being picked up and carried. Her eyes fluttered open to see her husband’s dear face above her.

“Robin,” she said sleepily. “The White Rabbit brought you back already?”

He smiled down at her. “I haven’t gone anywhere. You beat me to it.”

“What?” she asked, still groggy.

“You’re in Corona’s castle. You just suddenly appeared in the chapel,” he said.

“That’s impossible,” Regina said. “I can’t do that kind of magic.” 

“Apparently, you can. But it has made you very tired, so I’m taking you to our room to rest,” Robin explained.

“Robin,” Regina whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “I have to tell you something.” A sob escaped her throat.

“Shhh, darling. I know, I know,” he bowed his head and pressed his lips to her hair. “We will get through this. I’m just glad we’re together and you’re safe.”

“Henry and Roland? Where are they? I want to see them,” Regina said softly.

“I’m here, Mom,” Henry said from just behind Robin. He moved up beside the older man so that his mother could see he face and he could lay a hand on her arm. “Roland’s asleep. It’s very late at night here.”

“I missed you, my little prince,” she said. “I love you.”

“I love you, Mom. I love you so much,” he said, his eyes watering.

“You should go to bed, too, sweetheart,” Regina whispered. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Okay, Mom. Goodnight,” he kissed her forehead and disappeared down a side corridor.

“Sooo tired,” Regina said as Robin carried her down the passage leading to their room.

“Then I will tuck you into bed and lull you to sleep with bedtime stories about your two very brave, very smart sons,” Robin said softly.

“No stories of my brave, smart husband?”

Robin shook his head sadly. “No, your husband has been quite stupid and an immense coward in your absence. But now that you’re here, both his courage and his intelligence are rapidly returning.” He paused at the door to their room. “I mourn the loss of our child, Regina, but we will be with her again some day, and I am thankful that we have each other and our boys.”

Regina choked back a sob and buried her face against his shoulder. “Me, too.” Her grief was crashing back in on her in great waves, but she knew, deep down, that it would lessen. Only a few months ago she would have been so unsure of Robin’s love for her that she would have questioned her ability, and his, to work through this grief. But that was no longer the case. She’d finally been able not only to accept love, but to welcome it. Now she just had to have faith that that love would see her through.

_________

The attack so near the castle, and the news that the inhabitants were being watched, drove a new sense of urgency into King Richard’s preparations for battle. David had been able to convince Geraint, after a great deal of pressure and assurances, that working for King Richard’s cause was the best way to deal with King George. David was proud of his powers of persuasion, but he had to admit that it was really King Richard’s personal visit that had clinched the deal. The man exuded kindness and confidence in equal measure and a kind of quiet strength that inspired allegiance. Geraint was a man who had spent his entire life faithfully serving his King — until that King had begun to turn on his faithful servants. Now Geraint had a new king to serve and a new purpose.

David and Geraint worked out a system for getting messages back and forth utilizing Snow’s bluebird friends. David found the little tweeters a bit annoying, but a larger bird would be a target for hungry hunters. Snow said all Gearing had to do was whisper a message to one of the birds and it would bring it back to Corona’s castle where the bird would sing to Snow who could translate the message from bluebird to english. If they needed to get a message back to Geraint, they would attach a note to the bird’s leg.

Geraint left the castle in the pre-dawn hours, armed with a plausible story of how his compatriots had been killed as they made their way back to Nottinghamshire. In truth, he did not think he would need to use it more than once or do much explaining. King George would only care about the intelligence reports — not the wellbeing of his men. Some of the reports he was taking back were completely true. Some had been altered slightly to suit King Richard’s purposes. For instance, the number of forces that had defected to King Richard. Geraint’s own estimates had been pretty close, but the number he was carrying back to King George was much smaller. George had no other source for such information, so Geraint would be believed.

Still, he would have to be careful. Over the last several months he had been studiously ignoring many of the things King George was doing as that seemed the safest course. Now, he was going to have to pay a great deal of attention — and potentially draw attention to himself.

————-

The sun was high in the sky when Regina finally woke. She was reminded of waking up in the same bed after she had been attacked. Once again, she was surrounded by family, but fewer this time — just Robin, Roland and Henry.

“Mama Gina! You’re awake!” Roland cried with a tone that said he had been waiting a very long time. He launched himself into her arms.

“Oh, what a wonderful welcome back! Thank you, Roland!” she said, hugging him tightly. Henry hurried over and added his own arms around Regina and Roland.

“Love you, Mom!” his teenage voice cracking slightly.

“I love you, too, Henry,” she replied, stroking his head.

“Okay, now that you’ve seen your mother awake and fine, it’s time you two went to eat. Snow’s been holding your breakfast for you and we shouldn’t keep her waiting much longer,” Robin said.

After a few more hugs and assurances, Henry grabbed Roland’s hand and led the younger boy off to the dining hall.

Robin saw them out the door and then sat on the bed beside Regina, taking her hand in his.

“That was quite the magic act you pulled off last night, milady,” he said.

Regina took his remark as a sign that they were not going to talk about the baby just yet. She was grateful for the delay. She wanted to talk to Robin, but she wanted to think through her feelings more first.

“I’m still not really sure how,” she said. “I realize that it had to be me, but it wasn’t like how I have ever used magic. I was looking at the picture of you and the boys from the wedding and I felt all the love I have for all of you flowing through me and I just wanted so very badly to be with you. The next thing I knew, it felt as if there were arms around me and I was here.”

“Does anyone in Storybrooke know that you came here?” Robin asked.

“No, I don’t think so. At least, I was alone when I came here,” she replied. “Rebecca must be very worried. She was in the house with me when I began to come… undone.”

“So we need to let them know that you’re here, so that they won’t worry, yes?” Robin asked.

She nodded yes.

“Well, the White Rabbit is here with Will. They were coming to get me when you showed up here. They’re waiting to see what we want to do,” he took a deep breath knowing that she was unlikely to agree to the next part.

“I think you and the children should go back to Storybrooke. School should be starting soon anyway and you need to get them ready. I think Marian is going to take Peter and Priscilla, too,” Robin said.

Regina looked hard into his eyes. “What about you, and Sir Guy?”

“We’re going to stay here and fight with King Richard,” he said. He begged her with his eyes to understand. “Things are getting worse each day. Just in the two days of your absence, the flood of refugees and defectors have doubled and we have had news that King George is becoming quite unstable mentally.”

Regina frowned. “Which means he’s becoming much more dangerous and ruthless.”

Robin nodded. “I want to go with you, Regina, I do, but it is my land and my people. I could have come back here and stood with them when the White Rabbit began transporting people, but I chose to stay in Storybrooke. Now, I must choose to stay here and see Sherwood Forest and all of Nottingham freed.”

Regina bowed her head and stayed silent for a very long time. Finally she raised her head and spoke. “All right, the boys will go back to Storybrooke, but I am staying here. Emma can get Henry ready for school, as best she can and I will fix whatever she has screwed up later. Marian will take care of Roland - we needn’t worry about him.”

Robin began to protest, but she put a finger against his lips. “Since apparently I can poof back here, there’s absolutely no sense in you trying to send me away, now is there? Besides, I can help. My magic is much stronger now and I know George almost as well as David does. And even though I’m not evil anymore, I can still think the way ruthless tyrants do. You want to protect your home — well, as your wife, it is my home, too. And your oath to King Richard is now mine as well. You’re not getting rid of me, thief.”

“I can think of no one I would rather have on my side,” Robin said, giving in. He hated it when she was right.


	26. Mirror, Mirror

KINGDOM OF CORONA

Snow tapped lightly then opened the door to Robin and Regina’s suite when she heard Robin give permission to enter.

“We brought you breakfast,” she said softly. David appeared in the doorway behind her, holding a tray with two plates of steaming food. He took it to a table by the window. Snow hurried across the room to where Regina sat in front of a mirror, brushing her hair. She threw her arms around her step-mother.

“Regina, I’m so sorry,” she said with tears in her voice. Regina nodded.

“Me, too,” she said in a voice that cracked a bit. She shook herself slightly and Snow let go of her.

“I saw Emma. She looks well,” Regina said with fake brightness, quickly changing the subject. Even though they were her closest relatives and friends, there were too many people present to let herself go emotionally.

“Good, good,” Snow said, patting Regina’s shoulder. She didn’t agree with Regina’s approach to dealing with emotional upset, but now wasn’t the time to push. “She must be tearing Storybrooke apart looking for you right now.”

David nodded his head in agreement. “I wish there were some way we could get word to her faster than the rabbit traveling back.” He thought for a moment. “Regina, you were able to bring yourself here, do you think you could send a note or something back there?”

Regina frowned. Could she? She looked at David’s reflection in the mirror. “I don’t know,” she looked into her own eyes in the glass. Could she control this new power and do something she’d never done before like transporting an object (not herself) between realms? A sudden thought occurred and she turned around in her chair.

“I’m not sure about sending a note, but I might be able to use the mirror to look in on Storybrooke and actually speak to them. Getting a one-way view of a realm is possible with regular magic. Maybe with this new power, I can make it two-way communication,” she said. She raised her hand up to the glass and concentrated. A hazy fog replaced her reflection and then partly cleared to reveal her office back in Storybrooke.

“Regina!” Snow exclaimed. “That’s your office! We must be looking through the mirror on the side wall!”

Regina arched her eyebrows and looked up at her stepdaughter leaning over her shoulder. “Snow, you have an infallible talent for stating the obvious.”

Snow smiled brightly despite the insult. “Regina! You just acknowledged that I’m talented at something!”

Regina shook her head and was about to make a retort when movement in the mirror caught her eye. It was Rebecca walking over to the desk.

Regina, Snow and David all shouted “Rebecca!” at the same time, but the woman on the other side of the mirror paid no attention. The group, joined by Robin this time, shouted louder. “Rebecca!!” Rebecca finished gathering up some papers from the desk and left the room, never once glancing toward the mirror.

Regina’s shoulders drooped. “It didn’t work.”

“Try again, love, but this time, try to feel the same way you did when you brought yourself here,” Robin suggested.

“But a little differently,” David hastened to add. “We don’t want you poofing out again.”

Regina concentrated and closed her eyes. “When I came here I was focusing on the picture of Robin and the boys and wishing I could be with them and back to the peacefulness I had found in the chapel. I didn’t think about moving myself out all — I just let the peace and love flow through me, and… I had faith that it would happen.”

She sighed, still with her eyes closed. “Maybe if I make my desire to let people in Storybrooke know I’m okay into more of a feeling than a thought. And if I have faith in that feeling…” Her voice trailed off and the mirror swirled with fog again, but the reflection did not clear. 

Robin put his hand on Regina’s shoulder. “You can do this, darling,” he said in a whisper. Immediately, the fog stopped swirling, but the mirror did not seem to clear. Regina opened her eyes.

Snow peered more closely at the mirror. “It doesn’t look like fog anymore. It looks like steam,” she said softly.

David moved in closer. “I can see movement, I think,” he said, also whispering.

Suddenly a white blob moved quickly across the mirror, wiping away the steam. The blob and the hand holding it stepped back.

“AAAAAHHHH!” Five sets of voices screamed. Four sets of hands flew up to cover four sets of eyes. One set of hands covered, well, other things…

“Grumpy! Put a towel on would you? Trying to scar us for life or something?” David cried.

“You scarred for life! What about me?” Grumpy grabbed a battered robe and flung it around himself. “You’ve got some nerve, you bunch of peeping Toms! Is this how you used to get your evil jollies in the Enchanted Forest, your highness? Peeping in on naked unsuspecting men?”

“That is a fair question, Regina,” Robin said, earning a glare that would have withered a lesser man.

“If I did, dwarf, you can be certain that you and your brothers were never my target!” she retorted. “Besides, isn’t it a little late in the morning to be showering finally?”

“I’ll have you know that it’s eight a.m. here!” he replied gruffly. 

David gave a soft, ‘huh!’ and added, “We must be in different realm zones.”

Grumpy gave him a glowering look. “Let’s talk about something more important. How the hell did you get back to the Enchanted Forest and how in hell did you manage to turn my morning shower into a trans-realm Skype session?” he asked.

“The answer to both is the same. It seems I can tap into a very rare, extremely powerful kind of light magic,” Regina said.

“Well, that’s going to knock the wings right off the Fairy Superior when she finds that out!” Grumpy said. He was no particular fan of the nun/fairy.

Regina smirked. The thought of the Blue Fairy’s reaction when she found out that her long-time nemesis had used light magic that the fairy could only dream of was almost worth popping back to Storybrooke to see for herself. Alas, that wasn’t a good enough reason to expend so much energy.

“Tell you what, Grumpy, you can have the pleasure of telling her, and also everyone else, please, that I am back here at Corona’s castle and I’m fine,” Regina said. “Also please let Emma know that Henry is returning to Storybrooke with Roland and Marian and the toddlers as soon as the White Rabbit can take them. They’ll probably be there in a few hours.”

“Okay, anything else?” Grumpy said, clutching the front of his robe closed.

“Yes,” Robin replied. “Tell everyone that we are soon to engage King George’s forces and that anyone who wishes to join us should come back with the Rabbit.”

“And tell Emma we love her!” Snow added. Grumpy rolled his eyes but nodded.

“Thank you, Grumpy,” Regina said. “Goodbye.”

Grumpy waved and watched as his mirror swirled with magical fog. As soon as it cleared and he saw himself again, he covered the mirror with a towel.

Back in Corona, Regina leaned back in her chair, a little tired, but also quite satisfied with what she had achieved.

“That was wonderful, Regina! It’s so good to know that there’s a way we can talk to Storybrooke or this realm in cases of emergency. Waiting for the Rabbit to carry messages can take so long,” Snow complimented.

“I’m wondering why, though, that we saw Grumpy instead of Rebecca,” David said.

Regina smiled a little impishly. “Probably because I was wishing that I could get a message to people in Storybrooke. How better to spread news faster, louder, and broader than telling Grumpy first?”

——————

While Regina’s controlled use of the new magic was a major achievement, it was also draining and she soon found herself napping again. Robin and David went to meet with King Richard to get the latest intelligence updates. Snow, while she would have enjoyed being involved in the preparations for the coming battle, decided she was needed more by Baby Neal and by Henry and his packing for his imminent trip.

Once more, Regina awoke to a room full of people. “I remember when bedrooms used to be private places,” she remarked.

“Aah, Regina!” Sir Guy exclaimed. “The children would simply not leave until they had said goodbye to their Auntie ‘Gina.”

Peter and Priscilla scrambled onto the bed to give Regina hugs and then quickly scooted back off again, eager to begin their big adventure to Storybrooke.

Roland jumped onto the bed next. “Papa says I have to say goodbye to you here, but he’ll walk down to the Rabbit field with me,” he said, throwing his arms around Regina. Regina raised her eyebrows at Robin over Roland’s head. He understood why.

“We’re not going to the same field. We decided that was too exposed under current circumstances. The Queen has designated a garden patch just outside the castle wall as the new area. She said it needed tilling anyway,” Robin explained.

Regina nodded and ruffled Roland’s hair. “I’m going to miss you,” she said.

“I’ll miss you, too, Mama ‘Gina. Love you. Take care of Papa for me,” he said sweetly.

“I will. I love you,” she said, squeezing him once more than letting him slide from the bed.

Henry approached his mom. “I don’t want to go if you’re still here, Mom,” he said.

She nodded. “I know, but we won’t be apart long and we’ll be able to talk to one another through mirrors.”

“Like video chatting?” he asked.

“Just like that,” she said.

“You’ll be careful here? You won’t do anything dangerous?” he pleaded.

“Now who’s the parent and who’s the child?” she said laughing.

“I mean it, Mom! I love you and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Henry said, his eyes tearing up.

“I love you, too, sweetheart,” she said. “And I’ll be fine. I promise.” She hugged one long, last time, and then let him go.

“All right! Who’s ready to follow a rabbit down a hole and to a different world?” Sir Guy said loudly.

“Me! Me!” the young children cried, jumping up and down.

“Then let’s go!” He turned and marched out of the room as if leading a band and the three youngest fell into step behind, imitating his marching. Marian simply shook her head, rolled her eyes, and followed her husband and offspring out the door. Henry threw one last look at his Mom and then allowed Robin to lead him out of the room and after the others.

Regina smiled as they left. She was truly blessed with a wonderful family. Her hand fell to her stomach and tears filled her eyes. If only… She let the grief wash over her for a long while. Then, she let it flow away, like a wave that has crawled far up a beach and then recedes at first slowly and then faster and faster. Her grief was still there, but she let it lap at her feet instead of pulling her under. The grief would always be with her, but so would her family’s love. She owed it to them to keep on living and loving.

Regina dried her eyes and got up from the bed with renewed energy. She would tidy herself and then go seek out this war room the men had been frequenting. It was time for her to join the fight.

————-

A few hours later, Regina decided that ‘joining the fight’ wasn’t the right phrase. She felt more like she had ‘joined the debate.’ There seemed to be lots of talking and arguing over best courses of action (rather reminded her of that ‘lost’ year in the Enchanted Forest and the council meetings) but very few actual orders given. It had all been so much easier when she was the sole leader of an Army fighting the Charmings. What she ordered happened. Period. Of course, she had lost that war. Perhaps that was something to keep in mind.

Regina tried to give useful advice on King George’s potential tactics, but from what she had heard this afternoon, it seemed the man had gone completely mad. Evil plotting she could understand — outright lunacy was something else. When she said as much out loud, however, she distinctly heard David mumble “and cursing an entire realm was sane?” before he got an elbow in the ribs from Sir Guy.

She was beginning to feel distinctly unneeded when it dawned on her that there was something useful and unique that she could offer the defenders of King Richard’s kingdom. Of course, it was humbling to realize that she hadn’t thought of it much sooner. The epiphany began when the third or four soldier with an intelligence report or other update came stumbling.

As there was no other role for her, she had fetched some water for the out-of-breath man who had apparently ridden, and then run, quite a distance. After he had gasped out his report, he gulped down the water Regina handed him then passed her the cup again.

“Thank you, milady,” he said, not realizing she was royalty. “Exactly what I needed before returning to field.”

“You’re going back now? Shouldn’t you rest?” she asked.

“I cannot, milady. My comrades are too few to properly guard themselves and they will soon have to move position. If I do not return now, I may not find them again, or be too late in helping them defend themselves, if the worst should happen,” he replied.

He picked up his shield to leave and the flash of torchlight from the sconces around the war room played across the metal. That’s when the idea struck.

“Soldier, wait! Give me your shield a moment,” she commanded in her most regal tone. The soldier suddenly realized that she was no lady-in-waiting.

“Yes, your, your,” he was unsure what to call her but handed her the shield.

“Highness, will do,” Robin said. He had been attracted to the conversation by curiosity.

Regina turned the shield around and examined the inside. Yes, this would work! She put a hand to the surface and it clouded over a moment. She handed the shield back to the soldier.

“Here — you no longer need to come back and report in person. Simply say…” she paused a moment. It wouldn’t do to use her real name — it might be overheard by one of King George’s own men and then George would know that Regina had entered the fray against him. “Say, ‘Mrs. Locksley’ into this side of the shield and a mirror here in the castle, in this room, will show your image and carry your words. You can deliver reports or ask for help without leaving your comrades.”

The soldier grabbed the shield in wonder and relief. “Truly, your highness? This will be a great boon!” He ran from the room, a spring in his step.

“That’s a marvelous idea, Regina. Can you do that with more than one shield at a time?” Sir Guy asked.

She nodded her head. “Yes, but we’ll need a separate mirror for each shield if they are to work without requiring my presence. I can tie each shield with a specific mirror so long as I complete the spell with the particular mirror before enchanting the next shield. In that way, each shield and mirror set will be useable by anyone who uses the password. The shields will have one password, and the mirrors another.”

Regina’s explanation had drawn additional attention, including that of Rapunzel who had returned from her journey around her parents’ kingdom and was trying to find ways to make herself useful in the war and refugee effort.

“Then we need mirrors in here, lots of mirrors! Leave that to me — I’ll organize it. But you need a mirror right now, too,” she remarked as she flitted over to a basket full of odds and ends she had carried into the room with her. She fished around among bandages, sewing supplies and other paraphernalia until she pulled out a velvet bag that held a hair brush, toothbrush, some lip rouge, and a modestly-sized mirror and stand.

She handed it to Regina, blushing a bit. “That’s my emergency supply day bag. I’m afraid I’m a little too concerned with vanity, considering the circumstances,” she admitted.

Regina took the mirror and smiled. “That’s not vanity, my dear. As a future Queen, that’s strategic planning. You never know when you might have to impress the hell out of someone — even in a war zone.”

Rapunzel smile grew even wider and she stood a little taller. “Thank you, your majesty! I will have more mirrors brought right away.”

Robin turned to Sir Guy. “And we’re going to need a system of scribes to take messages and pass them to us. We’ll be getting a lot more information once the soldiers no longer have to travel great distances.”

Sir Guy nodded agreement and went to make the arrangements. Robin turned back to Regina as she prepared to enchant the mirror. “What password are you going to use?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I was just trying to think of one,” she replied.

“May I suggest, ‘Mr. Mills?’” he said. He thought she teared up a bit when he said it, but he couldn’t be sure as she was busily enchanting the mirror.

“Done! ‘Mr. Mills’ is the password,” she said and then she stood on tiptoes and kissed him.

“Thank you, Mrs. Locksley!” he replied kissing her back.

“Here now, enough of that! Save the smooching for later and back to work” David cried. “We’ve got another messenger arriving with a shield to enchant.” But he then leaned over Regina and said softly, “Good work, Regina. This will almost certainly save many lives. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Regina tried to hurl one of her usual acerbic remarks at him, but for some reason the snarky comment turned into a quick hug for David instead. She hoped no one had been looking.


	27. Interlude

KINGDOM OF CORONA

The days slipped by in a blur for the visitors from Storybrooke, and all those supporting King Richard. The network of enchanted shields and mirrors proved an extremely effective tool but meant that the war room had become a true battle command. At the moment, the forces it commanded were all dedicated to intelligence, reconnaissance and protection of refugees. But the focus was about to change.

“My friends,” King Richard said, looking around the room at his knights and allies. “It is time. We have sufficient forces to attack and we must do so before more innocents die. I propose we march out in the morning.”

A collective sigh of mixed relief and apprehension rose from the assemblage. Regina grabbed Robin’s hand. She knew that he had returned to this realm with the sincere intention to train and advise, not to fight. But now, with all that had happened, he was going to be out there beside his King, leading men into battle as he once had so long ago. With all her heart, she wanted to stop him, but she knew that what she wanted wasn’t what was important here. He needed her support, not her pleading.

Robin squeezed her hand then leaned over to whisper in her ear, “You are remarkable.” Regina raised her eyebrows. Could he really tell so well what she was thinking. Robin continued speaking, “We would not have been able to take the battle to King George and Prince John so soon if it weren’t for you, Regina.”

Regina grimaced. “I wish I could do something to make it unnecessary for anyone to fight at all.”

Robin smiled. “So do I, my love, but as powerful as you are, that is not within your means.” Discussion among the principals caught their attention. Charming and Sir Guy were addressing King Richard.

“Your Highness, what of Geraint, our spy at King George’s side? His position may soon become untenable once we attack,” Sir Guy asked.

The King nodded. “Agreed. We must warn him. Do we know whether he is in receipt of the mirror yet?” The command group had decided to switch communicating with Geraint to mirror system rather than the birds. Snow had dispatched an owl carrying an appropriately enchanted mirror. The countersign to use the mirror had been sent via a separate bird. As yet, though, Geraint had not utilized the system.

“No, Sire. We have someone watching the connecting mirror constantly, just in case,” Sir Guy replied.

“Do we launch the attack without informing him, if he does not contact us?” Charming asked.

“I am afraid we must,” The King replied gravely. His tone revealed his regret at such an action but there was little choice. The atrocities committed by George and John were growing moment by moment. It was time to act.

The others solemnly nodded. The question had had to be asked, but the grim answer was not surprising. The assemblage broke into smaller groups, dealing with details of preparing for the offensive.

Robin pulled Regina to one side. “Regina, there is something you can do, if you would,” he said.

“Anything,” she answered without hesitation.

“I am sure that all of us who came here from Storybrooke will want to speak to their loved ones tonight. I know I want to see Roland and Henry and I’m sure Sir Guy will want to talk to Marian and his children and David and Mary Margaret with Emma. Can you arrange some magic mirror sessions? I know it’s tiring, but it will mean a lot to everyone.”

“Of course, I will. I want to see them all, too,” she replied.

______________________________

Although Regina gave no outward indication, Robin knew that the mirror ‘skype’ sessions were wearing her down and not just because of the magic she was expending to maintain the two-way conversations. It wasn’t what was being said, either. It was what wasn’t being said. 

The small children were oblivious, but the look in Marian’s eyes as she refused to say goodbye, only “we’ll see you soon” to Sir Guy and the tone of her voice said it all. She was afraid she was afraid for her husband’s life, but knew that saying so, or appearing distraught would only upset the children and her husband. She needed to brave so that he could go off to fight feeling brave as well.

Roland’s cheerful conversation with his father and Regina lightened the mood somewhat. He was completely oblivious that a battle was looming and was babbling away about how funny it was to be living so close to his own home, but not in it. (Sir Guy’s home was directly behind Regina’s.)

The conversation with Emma and Henry, conducted through a mirror at the Charming’s residence, had a different tone. Henry knew that a battle was looming. Henry was visibly worried and Emma was agitated.

“I should be with you. I’m the Savior!” she said. “I can help.” Henry, who was sitting beside her cracked a smile.

“I think you’re pretty cool, Mom, but you’re no Jesus Christ,” he said.

“Henry Mills!” Regina began sternly, but Robin put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, laughing as he did so.

“It’s all right, Regina. He is correct. Most of King Richard’s realm would certainly dispute Emma’s claim on the name — especially when coupled with the word, ‘The,’ he said.

Emma smirked. “Okay, okay, I get it! I do magic, not miracles, but I still think I could help.”

“We appreciate that, sweetheart, but the town needs you and so does Henry,” Snow said. Emma nodded grudgingly.

“Did you get the package we sent you?” Emma asked.

“The package?” Snow asked. Emma grimaced. She had been trying to be discreet.

“You know, the one that needed to be returned to Corona,” she said slowly, willing her mother to get the hint.

“She means Martin, Corona’s guard who attacked me,” Regina said dryly. Charming coughed.

“Oh, yes, we did. He is in the King’s custody awaiting trial,” he said. Robin muttered something that sounded like ‘doesn’t deserve a trial’ but Regina quieted him by placing her hand over his.

The time for goodbye’s came and Emma and Henry obviously hadn’t had the training Marion had had in sending one’s loved ones off to war. There was pleading for everyone to be careful, to keep their heads down, and of how much they would worry about them and pleas to stay in touch as much as possible. Henry’s eyes were visibly wet, which made Regina and Snow tear up as well. Robin finally stepped in.

“Henry?” he said.

“Yes, Dad?” Henry’s response made Robin tear up just a little as well.

“Henry, I need you to do something very hard but very important for your Mom and me,” he said.

“Anything,” Henry said immediately.

“You’re a brave young man and you’ll need to use some of that bravery for this. We need you to stay safe there and get yourself ready for school starting and help Emma with all the chores. In short, we need you to be the good son that you always are so that we won’t worry about you or get distracted from what we need to do here. Do you understand?” Robin’s voice was calm and sincere, but his eyes pleaded with his stepson. Regina would naturally worry about Henry whenever she was apart from him, but she didn’t need to worry about him worrying about HER.

“I understand. Don’t worry about me. I promise not to start any new operations or intrigues or run off with any dicey fairy tale characters,” he said, grinning. The mood immediately lightened for Regina. She rolled her eyes.

“I expect you to behave, Henry, not act completely out of character!” she said smiling.

———————-

The calls had all ended and at last Regina and Robin were alone. She looked up at him as he drew her into his arms.

“We don't have much time, do we?” she asked softly. He shook his head.

“We march before dawn,” he said. “I can manage two or three hours and then I will have to go join the preparations.”

“Well, then I am going to ensure that my gallant knight is well rested before his journey begins. I can’t send you off into battle exhausted,” Regina said. Robin raised his eyebrows.

“Your gallant knight would be willing to go into battle a LITTLE exhausted,” he said with a sexy smile.

“Down tiger! As much as I would love to contribute to your exhaustion, what I really want is to just lie in your arms. We both need rest and…” Regina decided to be perfectly frank, “and I don’t think I’m quite ready so soon after…”

Robin hugged her tight within his arms and rested his cheek against her hair. “Of course, my love. Let’s crawl into bed and, what do you call it? Snuggle,” he offered.

Regina bobbed her head and led him by the hand to the bed. They were perfectly quiet as they shed their robes and climbed in. Regina curled into his arms, with one of her hands over his heart and the other over her own abdomen. As her husband’s breathing slowed, she silently prayed over and over again, “Please God, keep Robin safe. Don’t take someone else I love. Please.”

______________

 

Many hours later, as the very first light of day began to glow on the horizon, Regina and Snow (with Neal sleeping in her arms) watched as the long column of the army poured out from the front gates of the castles. The standards of King Richard, the Enchanted Forest, and Corona leading the way carried by knights on powerful steeds.

Snow shook her head. “I can’t believe we are going to war yet again.” She hugged Neal a little more tightly.

Regina laid a hand on her stepdaughters arm in comfort. “If there were some other way, any other way, you know we would take it.”

Snow nodded. “I know, I just wish there was something i could do.” The sun was a bit brighter now and was just casting glancing streams of light onto the armored column. Regina had a sudden thought.

“Maybe there IS something that can help,” Regina muttered. She took her hand from Snow’s arm and held them both out before. She took a deep breath and channeled the love in her heart through her fingertips. She gave no specific command in her mind, only made herself to have faith that the marching army would be protected. A warm glow emitted from her hands and turned into a soft white vapor that curled from her hands and down to the soldiers. As it descended, the vapor grew and thickened until it curled around the army and its route in a thick fog, muffling the sounds of the clanking armor and obscuring the very existence of the column.

“Oh, Regina! That’s wonderful! They’ll be able to stay undiscovered much longer,” Snow cried.

Regina took a deep breath and rocked a bit on her heels. She was weak from using so much magic lately and still wasn’t completely physically recovered from losing the baby or the attack she had suffered so long ago. Snow saw Regina wobble and put out a hand to steady her.

“Woah! Back to bed with you! You need more rest,” she commanded. Regina grumbled a ‘yes, Mother,’ but otherwise meekly complied.


	28. Endings

The sun was high in the sky when Regina awoke. Her first thought was for Robin and how he and King Arthur’s forces were fairing. She looked to the mirror on the wall. The temptation was great to try to look in on him, or to try to talk to him via the compact mirror she had insisted he take with him. He had seemed a little awkward about taking a ladies beauty compact as part of his gear, but it was the only small mirror she had with her. 

He had brightened up when she told him that he should consider it his ‘lady’s favor to carry with him into battle.’ She smiled even now at that. Her strong, courageous knight, happy at the thought of carrying a favor from his lady. Regina sighed. She had to resist the temptation to contact him. He would reach out to her when he could. He didn’t need to be distracted now. The best thing that she could do for Robin and King Richard was to get up, make herself look like a calm and collected queen, and go to the war room to offer whatever support she could.

A short while later, Regina stood before the closed door of her chambers, squared her shoulders, took a deep steadying breath, threw open the door and strode out — straight into a solid, stocky body. They both sprawled to the ground, limbs tangled.

“Hey! I’m supposed to be your bodyguard, not your speed bump!” Grumpy growled.

Regina tried to move but her skirt was tangled around Grumpy’s legs. “You’re in Storybrooke!”

Grumpy cocked an eyebrow at her. “I thought you were a little smarter off the mark than that, Madam Mayor. Obviously, I’m here.”

“Obviously,” she agreed in a snarky tone. “But why?”

“I wasn’t feeling comfortable at home. Too afraid of peeping mirror toms,” he snarked back. Regina rolled her eyes, but hid a little smile at the same time. Griping at Grumpy was one of her favorite pastimes. It was good to have him here. Under cover of disentangling herself, Regina chanced giving Grumpy a quick hug. He froze for a moment, then quickly kicked his leg free of her skirt and jumped to his feet. He offered Regina his hand to help her stand. She took it and could have sworn that he squeezed it for just a moment after she was on her feet before letting it go.

“I came back as one of the escorts for that low-life Martin,” Grumpy said. He hung his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t see that he was bad.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Grumpy,” she said. “Martin was doing what he thought was right. There’s a lot of people who would agree with him.”

Grumpy scuffed his foot against the floor, still with his head hung. After a moment, he planted his foot firmly next to the other, raised his head and looked Regina straight in the eye. “Fewer every day, your Majesty. Fewer every day.”

A tear welled in the corner of Regina’s eye, but she merely gave a Mona Lisa smile and a regal nod of her head. She turned and swept down the hallway. When she heard the dull thud of Grumpy’s feet following behind her, she allowed herself to smile right down to heart. Not letting Grumpy see, of course. Wouldn’t want to ruin their sparring.

____________

The days rolled one into another — a haze of refugees, reports from the field, and the occasional quick conversation with Robin. The flood of refugees had grown and grown. So much so that a massive settlement was being constructed deeper in the Kingdom. The King himself had gone to oversee construction and ensure its rapid completion. It left the Queen, Princess Rapunzel, Regina and Snow to run the castle, see to the refugees and oversee the War Room. Regina and Snow took charger of the latter, their previous experience with commanding armies (against one another) now proving fruitful as they worked together to support King Richard’s forces. Despite the demanding pace of the war and humanitarian effort, Regina found a little time each day to go up to the chapel to meditate and pray. She found that it helped steady and focus her as well as provide comfort in Robin’s absence. One day, she found Snow there, simply sitting on a bench staring up at the altar.

Snow turned her head as Regina entered. “I’m sorry, Regina, I know this is your place for meditation. You always seem so peaceful after you’ve been here. I thought it might help me, too.”

“No need to apologize, Snow. This is not my private space. It is a chapel and meant for everyone,” Regina said. She settled onto a bench and opened the illuminated Bible that King Richard had given her.

Snow sat quietly for a moment, and then, in a voice like the little girl Regina once knew, asked, “Are there words in there that will help while we wait to see what happens?”

Regina glanced up from the book. “I have found passages that help me.” She glanced hesitantly down at the book. “I did see something the other day that reminded me of you…”

Snow moved over to the same bench as Regina. “Tell me.”

Regina nodded and flipped through the pages until she found the passage she wanted. “It’s from the Book of Romans, first chapter, verses two through five. ‘Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’”

“Endurance produces character and character produces hope,” Snow repeated. “I like that. Thank you, Regina.”

After that, Snow joined Regina every day. Each time, Regina would read a verse aloud and then the two would sit quietly, thinking about the words and about their loved ones. Eventually, Rapunzel and her mother began joining them and one by one, the wives and mothers of others who had left to serve. Regina marveled at how silent and attentive the women were — she was much more accustomed to inane chatter whenever a group of the castle’s women gathered. But here, they were quiet, thoughtful, and seeking comfort. Lately, as she was leaving the chapel, one or more of the women would stop and ask her questions about the verses. Regina was at a loss. She wanted to be helpful, but she was just learning herself. 

A solution presented itself to her one day as she was on her way up to the chapel and bumped into a rather rotund man.

“Friar Tuck! I thought you would have gone with King Richard!” she exclaimed.

“I did, but there were wounded in the last group of refugees we passed, so I came back with them. I’ll ride back tomorrow to join the men,” he explained.

“Do you have time now to come with me to the chapel? There’s a group of women that’s been gathering there. I’ve been reading a verse a day, and then we meditate, but sometimes they ask questions afterward that I can’t answer. I know so little,” she said.

Friar Tuck smiled. “It’s not what you know, it’s what you feel in your heart, Regina. And I think by that measure, you know much. But I will go with you. How could I turn down an invitation to be in a room full of lovely women?” He took Regina’s hand and hooked it around his elbow, leading her up toward the chapel.

Although Regina had warned him, Tuck was surprised by the large number of women in the chapel. There were many faces he had never seen in any of his services. He quickly decided that the traditional rituals were not appropriate for this group. They wouldn’t understand the symbolism and the references. He decided to follow what he mentally called “The Regina Approach” — verses, maybe a little explanation, and a lot of prayer. Or meditation if they preferred to do that.

He began with one of his favorites. “My daughters, hear the word of the Lord. ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’”

————-

Matters had turned odd at the front. There were skirmishes, but the forces of King George and Prince John were inexplicably falling back, even though they sometimes had the advantage. Regina waited desperately for news from Geraint. Surely, as the spy on the inside, he would know what was going on, but it was extremely difficult for him to find time and space to contact the war room. Regina began to fear that he had been discovered and was dead.

Then, late one evening just as she was preparing to leave, the mirror linked to Geraint sprang to life. There was a swift exchange of passwords and Geraint began to speak in a fast, low voice.

“Your Majesty, King George has gone completely insane. He doesn’t care whether he or his men live or die anymore. And worst of all, he has an evil genie named Jafar. They intend to lure in King Richard and then destroy the whole kingdom — King George included. I heard him say that if he can’t have his kingdom, then no one shall. You must warn,” Geraint stopped suddenly, his eyes wide and his mouth open.

“Geraint! Geraint! What is it?” Regina cried. The man staggered back from the mirror, exposing more of his body to its view. A bright red was spreading across his chest. A hand grasped his shoulder and pushed him to one side.

“Your spy is dead, Regina,” George’s face appeared in the mirror. His features distorted and deranged. “And you are far too late to save all the sickeningly sweet heroes you now serve. Once again, you have chosen the wrong side. There is only one way to get a happy ending and not let anyone take it away from you, Regina. You have to really, truly make it end.” He laughed maniacally and drove his bloody sword into the mirror, breaking the connection.


	29. Light in the Darkness

KINGDOM OF CORONA

Regina stared in horror at King George’s maniacal visage. He laughed insanely and then shouted, “Do it, Jafar!” At that moment, every mirror in the room cracked. Regina suspected that every mirror in two kingdoms had shattered. Snow, who had been watching by Regina’s shoulder, grabbed her arm.

“Regina, we have to warn King Richard — he’s marching into a trap!” Snow cried. Regina nodded and reined in her urge to snap at Snow for shouting the obvious. She looked around for a moment, then stepped up onto a nearby chair and then onto a table.

“Everyone! I need you to listen!” She yelled in a queenly tone above the hubbub. It worked. She had their attention.

“Who was speaking to King Richard’s entourage?” she asked. A small man just a few feet away raised his hand. “Where were they?”

“They were fighting their way up the last hill before the valley in which King George’s stronghold sits,” he answered, adding as an afterthought, “Your Majesty.”

Snow looked up at Regina. “Quickly, Regina, poof us there!”

Regina bit her lip. “I don’t think I can, Snow. I’ve never been there.” She looked back to the man who had spoken. “Are there any landmarks near by?”

He shook his head. “It’s only forest thereabouts, Your Majesty.”

She nodded her thanks to him and climbed down from the table with a helping hand from Snow. She put a hand to Snow’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do. If I can’t visualize a place in my mind, then I can’t transport there.”

Snow thought for a moment then seized Regina’s hand. “Use your heart, Regina. It will take you to Robin. You share a heart — at some level in your mind or soul you must see what he sees.”

Regina looked at Snow uncertainly. She had never heard of such a thing, but Snow had this uncanny ability to be right about things that shouldn’t be at all possible. “I’ll try.” She closed her eyes and put her free hand on her heart — still clutching Snow’s hand in her other. “You should think of Charming, too. You share a heart as well and Robin and Charming are probably near one another.”

Snow nodded and closed her eyes, but not before grabbing a sword laying on the table next to her, just in case.

She pictured Charming in her mind and wished with all her heart that she could go to him. She felt a funny twist in her stomach and then a sort of swishing sound and she felt an odd burst of air against her face — as if something had just passed very quickly above her head.

“Goddamnit!” Sir Guy’s voice made her eyes pop open. She and Regina were standing just bare inches from his armored chest. His arm was stretched out above their heads. He drew it back quickly, the blade dripping with blood. Snow and Regina turned to see one of the enemy knights fall to the ground, blood pouring from his helmut.

“It’s a damn good thing you two are so incredibly short or else I would have cut the tops of your heads off!” he yelled.

Snow shivered. It certainly had been close. But no time to think about that — they were here on urgent business. “The King — we have to warn him.”

Sir Guy stepped to one side to reveal that he had been standing back-to-back in a small circle with Robin and Charming. The other two men were just polishing off the last of their opponents on the field. “The King is just there,” he pointed up hill slightly. “We had just reached the crest of the hill and were going to rest and make plans when this lot came up behind us and all the mirrors broke. The King thought it best to push on to castle as fast as possible — he’s leading that charge now.”

“No!,” Regina shouted. “It’s a trap!” Even as she said the words, there was a crack of lightning and it was as if a giant dome began to form over the valley with the edges rapidly approaching the crest of the hill. It would surely trap King Richard on the other side if she didn’t act quickly. She poofed to the top of the hill and reached forward to drag King Richard back when he flew backward seemingly of his own accord and the barrier crashed down just inches from his feet.

“Cedric!” the King cried out. His bravest and most loyal knight lay at his feet. Cedric had been just a few feet ahead of the King. When he saw the barrier coming down, he had flung himself at the King to push him out of harm’s way, but he did not make it far enough himself only his head and arms had made it. The knight’s chest was crushed between the barrier and the ground. A final rattle of air left his lungs and then he was silent. The King knelt beside his young friend and with a quiet prayer, passed a hand over Cedric’s eyes to close the lifeless lids. He sighed heavily and stood up.

“What sorcery is this, Regina?” he asked heavily.

Regina wiped a tear from her eye. “King George has a genie. He intended to trap you inside the valley and destroy everyone and everything inside. We think that’s how he shattered all the mirrors — by making a wish.”

The King scrutinized the barrier in front of him and through its haze into the valley below. “Then the barrier must be the second wish. He’d need a third to destroy everyone within. What will he do now that he doesn’t have us?”

“He’s still going to wipe out the kingdom. He wants there to be nothing left for anyone to have. He’s insane,” Regina added rather unnecessarily.

King Richard nodded. “I had gathered that.” He turned to face Regina and the rest of the retinue who had finally managed the run up the hill and join them. “Is there nothing we can do to save the people in there?”

David spoke before Regina could reply. “There’s no one left in the valley who doesn’t want to be there. I had a little chat with one of the group we were just fighting. He said that King George has filled the valley with only his men so that they could surround us once we marched on the castle.”

Regina looked up at David. “How many men?”

“Around three thousand,” David replied. “A little more than we have.”

“But now they’re trapped in there,” Robin said, point his sword down into the valley. “And unless King George relents and uses his last wish to bring down the barrier, they pose no threat to us. If King George decides to destroy the valley, we can rebuild the castle elsewhere. There is more to Sherwood Forest and Nottingham than this one valley.”

For Regina, it felt as if she were about to pass out. There was a high whining in her ears and everything in her vision was blurring and going white. There was a war of thoughts and feelings swirling through her head. Thoughts of her lost child, but without pain. Recollections of how she had given a little evil smile when she thought Charming and Snow had been beaten and were about to die. A thousand memories of vanquishing enemies great and small without mercy or remorse. And one, one small memory of Snow calling off the execution just as the archers were letting their arrows fly.

The sound in her ears faded and focus returned to her eyes. She looked up at King Richard and said softly, “I have to try to save them.”

The simple words caused a shocked silence in her other companions, but King Richard looked at her knowingly and nodded. “I understand.”

“Well, I don’t!” Robin barked. “Regina, you can’t intend to go in there!”

She looked lovingly up into his eyes. “Magic is intended as the instrument of destruction. Only magic can prevent that. I’m the only person here who can do it.”

David frowned. “But why does anyone have to do it? They’re the enemy!”

“And I was once your enemy, until someone gave me a chance,” Regina said. “Granted, Snow had to give me many, many chances until I finally got smart and took one, but if redemption was possible for me, then it’s possible for the people in that valley.”

Snow walked up to face Regina. “Redemption WAS possible for you, Regina, not IS possible? Are you saying that you’ve finally forgiven yourself?”

Regina searched her feelings. She didn’t know whether she had given it up, or if it had been taken, but her guilt was there no more. She nodded to Snow. “Yes, I have. And now I have to do for others what was done for me.”

“Regina, no,” Robin said. “You could die.”

She reached forward and put her hand over his heart. “I died once in your arms, and you brought me back. And when you did, you gave me a better heart than I had ever had. You have helped make me who I am, my beloved husband. This is my moment to give back all the love I have been given.” She stepped a little closer to him and whispered. “I think I know now why our child was lost to us,” she paused a moment and swallowed. “Had I been pregnant still, there is no way I would have risked the child to go in and try to save those people.” She gave a watery smile. “When I come back, we’ll try again for another baby.”

Robin pulled her close. “And if you don’t come back?”

“Then I’ll keep our child company in heaven until the day many, many, many years from now when you join us,” she whispered.

The tears fell unabashedly down Robin’s face. “I’m coming with you,” he said firmly.

Regina stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “No, my hero, this one is meant for me alone. Tell Henry I love him.” She took a step back and reached into her chest with her own hand, wincing as she pulled out her heart — or rather the other half of Robin’s heart. “Guard this for me until I get back. Never take your heart to a magic fight,” she said, thrusting the bright red object into his hands. Before another word could be said, she ran to the barrier.

She composed herself, blocking out the crying and shouts of encouragement from behind her and simply focused on the love within her and pouring toward her from her friends and family. A moment came when she just felt that it was all right to walk forward. So she did, with her eyes still closed. She felt a tingling on her skin, but otherwise no indication that the barrier had been there at all. She heard trampling and shouts around her and the sound of arrows and the reverberation of swords. At some level, she knew that it was King George’s men attacking her, but she felt nothing. It was as if there was a protective bubble around her and it was carrying her to King George.

To her friends, it seemed as if Regina gave off a white glow as she stepped through the barrier. They could just make out that she was almost immediately under attack, but a silvery sphere encompassed her and nothing seemed to penetrate it. The sphere rose slightly above the ground and then began floating down into the valley. The castle had become obscured by a dark cloud that seemed to be growing in size and intensity.

Snow let out a soft, “oh!” when the sphere began its flight. “It’s like the bubbles in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ that can carry you and protect you.”

“At least one good thing came out of Oz, then,” David said.

“It’s white,” Robin said softly.

“The sphere?” David asked.

“Her heart,” Robin replied. There, cradled in his hands, the partial heart from Regina’s chest glowed a pearly white.

“What does it mean?” Snow asked.

“I hope it means she’s protected,” Robin said and glanced anxiously through the barrier, willing himself to be able to see the sphere, but it had traveled too far. He bent his head over the heart in his hands. “Be safe, my love. Come back to me.”

Without looking around at his companions, King Richard went to both knees on the ground. “I think there is but one prayer for this moment,” he said, closing his eyes. All of his remaining knights and Regina’s loved ones joined him in kneeling — even those who did not believe.

The King’s rich timber rang out with words thousands of years old. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. he restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

———————————  
In the valley below, the object of their prayers felt calm, but clueless. Regina had no idea how to counter the incoming curse, if curse it was. Somehow, the black cloud building in the valley did not feel like a curse. Dark, yes, evil even, but not a curse. She could just make out the walls of the castle through the billowing blackness. Instinctively she knew that she need go to the center of that darkness and there she would find King George and she would either prevail or fail.

It took some time, even in her protective bubble, to find the mad monarch, even though he was not hiding at all. It was simply the black swirling was almost as thick as a cloth now. Pushing through had been difficult, but she had made it at last. There was a small clear spot where King George stood, a crown at a rakish angle on his head. Prince John unconscious at his feet. Regina’s bubble came to a rest a few feet in front of him. It seemed to retract around her until it covered her like a cloak. Regina couldn’t stop the small swift thought in her head that said “Try that, Blue!”

“Welcome to my kingdom, Regina. Sorry it will be such a short visit, but we’re all about to die, you see,” George said.

“Where’s your genie, George?” Regina asked.

“Oh, he’s gone. Got the third and final wish rolling and then quite literally popped off,” he said.

“And what did you wish for, George?”

“My happy ending, of course,” he said, smiling savagely. “I wished that this valley and everyone in it would go to hell, swallowed in darkness. And here were are, well on our way there. I told you, Regina, the only way to get your happy ending and then keep it is to make sure that as soon as you get it, everything ends. Finito,” he said waving his arms about. “The darkness is here and once it fills the valley, it will grow blacker and blacker until there’s nothing left behind in the end but scorched earth.”

Shouts and wails outside the walls drew his attention. “Hear that, Regina? The lamentations of the weak! They should be rejoicing!”

“Maybe they don’t want to die at the hands of a mad man,” Regina said.

George shrugged. “I imagine they don’t want to die at the hands of anyone, mad or sane, but I didn’t really consult their preferences.”

“If you had, you’d already be dead,” she replied.

“True. Is that what you’re here to do, Regina? Kill me? Because, you know that won’t stop the third wish. Once begun it cannot be stopped.”

“No, I’m not going to kill you, George, but I am going to stop this wish from happening,” she said.

“And how do you think you’re going to do that? Some goody two-shoes magic you’ve learned from technicolor fairies? I’ve lived in Storybrooke, Regina. I know there’s nothing you could have learned there that would counter this,” he scoffed.

“It’s not what I can do, George. It’s what He can do, through me,” Regina said serenely.

George looked around suspiciously. “He? Who are you talking about?”

“The one who brings light to the darkness in our hearts. The one who replaces hate with love and fear with understanding. I’m talking about our Maker, George, and he wants to meet you,” Regina felt a warmth growing in her with each word. She was faintly aware that the darkness around them had become complete and was even filling the small space between she and George. But it did not matter. She could feel that the light was beginning to not just envelope her but also shining out of her, stronger and stronger. 

She closed her eyes, slowly raising her arms above her head and opening her soul to let the love there spread out around her. As she did, she felt the warmth of that love returned to her a hundred fold and she let it roll forth from her body again, only to feel it return once more, even stronger. The warmth became heat, and then a flame, but it did not burn or scorch. Regina had no fear of it, although she knew with certainty that she was dying. That this was a cleansing flame. Not everyone in the valley would live through it, but those who did would have a second chance at leading a better life. That was enough for Regina to know, and to feel her sacrifice worthy. For a moment she felt as Robin and Henry were right there with her, and then she knew no more.

——————————  
At the crest of the hill, the little group watched the ever-darkening world inside the barrier, until it was a solid mass of black. Robin kept glancing back down at the glowing heart in his hands, whispering endearments and encouragement.

“Look! Do you see that? Kind of a pulsing light?” Sir Guy point toward the barrier. Indeed, there did seem to be an almost rhythmic lightening of the murk within — as if lightning were sparking somewhere in the depths, but growing stronger.

It grew brighter and more frequent, until it was almost steady and had almost eclipsed the black cloud. The heart in Robin’s hands was pulsing in kind. “It’s Regina! Somehow she’s causing this,” Robin said. “We’re here, sweetheart. We love you. I love you.”

Suddenly the light arced in intensity and the barrier fell as if blown away, knocking all the crowd to the ground. As he hit the ground, the heart in Robin’s hands simply evaporated. “NO!!” he feared for a moment that as he fell he had crushed it, but no, there was no ash. It had simply evaporated before his eyes.

Snow ran over at his cry. “What happened?”

“Regina’s heart — it disappeared!” he exclaimed.

“It doesn’t mean she’s, she’s,” Snow stammered, not able to say the word.

David put a hand on her shoulder. “Robin said it disappeared and there’s no dust or ash, so let’s hope for the best.”

Sir Guy poked his sword at the spot where the barrier had been. There was a light mist, quickly dissipating, but no more blackness nor barrier.

“It’s down,” Sir Guy proclaimed. “We can go in.”

The party trooped downward, fearful and hopeful at once. Soon after they began the journey, figures began appearing out of the mist. Dazed soldiers of King George and Prince John who tried to surrender, but King Richard told them the war was over and that they should go home and do no more harm. The men nodded, still astonished they were alive, and wandered away.

It was a scene that repeated itself over and over again as they approached the castle. Before they could enter, an open carriage with an honor guard in full regalia on white horses slowly exited.

King Richard halted his party with a raised hand and leaned forward in his saddle to peer at the oncoming group.

“Is it King George? Is he surrendering?” Charming asked.

King Richard shook his head. “I don’t see George, but Prince John is driving the carriage.”

“Driving? Then who is riding in it?” Sir Guy asked.

As the carriage hit a bend in the road, it became obvious what the carriage bore, and Robin had to swallow hard.

“It’s Regina,” he whispered. She lay on a bier in the center of the carriage. The dress she wore was the same style as the one she had been wearing earlier, but it had turned bright white. Roses were strewn across the skirt and around her head. Her hands had been placed across her midsection — one above and one below a crown — the same one that had sat atop George’s head.

Neither Prince John nor any of the honor guard made any sign of hostility, so King Richard motioned his group forward. A part of Robin wanted to rush forward, but another, greater part wanted to delay the moment that he was faced undeniably with Regina’s death until the last moment.

As the two solemn parties converged, the last of the mist dissipated and a bright, clear sun shone down, glinting off the gold of the carriage and the crown and the white of Regina’s dress.

“King Richard, my kinsman, I return your kingdom to you. Neither I nor my men, shall ever move against you again,” Prince John alighted from the carriage and proffered his sword to the King. King Richard dismounted and took the sword.

“I accept your surrender, John. Reparations must be made to the people, but we will speak of that later. For now, I require to know what has happened here,” Richard intoned.

John bowed his head. “Of course, sire.” Snow, Robin, and David quietly dismount and slowly approached the carriage.

“These men,” he waved a hand to the honor guard, “tell me that she is the source of our freedom. That she floated in like an angel bathed in a pearly glow, confronted King George, and was the source of a bright, heavenly light that banished the evil from this place. I was not conscious during the event, but when I regained my senses, I found the dear lady lifeless on the ground. King George was no where to be found but there was a pile of ash on the ground and the crown sat upon it. The men say that he had been standing in that exact spot before the light enveloped us all, so I can only assume that he is dead.” 

Prince John waved his hand toward the carriage. “I did not recognize her, but she bears a signet ring of yours. We paid her what homage and respect we could and hastened to bring her to you,” he said. “She is blessed in the eyes of the people here. May we know her name?”

From behind him, a rough voice answered.

“Her name is Regina. My wife,” Robin said, the tears flowing freely as he climbed up into the carriage and caressed her cheek with his hand.


	30. Not Yet

Regina heard a voice calling her name. No, that’s wrong, she thought, she wasn’t so much hearing it as feeling it — it felt like her father, and Snow and Henry, all rolled into one. The voice wanted her to open her eyes. She did so, reluctantly.

“Aah, that’s better.” Before her stood her father, Snow and Henry, but their mouths didn’t move — she only heard the words in her head.

“What’s going on? Why are your words in my head? Am I dreaming?” she asked, she though she said it aloud, but she couldn’t be sure.

“No, you’re not dreaming, Regina. And we, are not who we appear to you to be,” the oddly-combined voice said.

“Then who are you? And why do you look like my family?” she said, beginning to feel uneasy.

“We are your three angels. Your mind is simply supplying faces you know because our real faces are only revealed in heaven,” the voice said.

“Your my angels? Does that mean you’ve been watching over me? Guiding me to do the right things?”

“Not exactly that. Your choices have been your own, but we’ve been, shall we say, whispering in the ears of those who, through their mistrust of the Evil Queen, would not allow a good woman like Regina to exist.”

Aahh, Regina thought to herself. That explained Grumpy and Granny and their change of heart in her regard.

The three shook their heads. “No, Regina. We did not change their hearts — we just opened them to giving you a chance. You did the rest on your own,” the voice said.

Regina suddenly realized that although she could see the people in front of her, that absolutely nothing else was visible about where the four of them were. Everything around her, except the three people, was a soft blur.

“You said your faces are only revealed in heaven, but this does not appear to be any realm I know. Where are we?” she asked softly, afraid of the answer.

“Neither heaven nor earth.”

“Am I, am I.. dead?” she asked even more softly.

“Not irrevocably.”

“What does THAT mean?” she asked with a bit more fire.

The three smiled. “It means you have a choice. Heaven awaits you, Regina. You are redeemed and you will spend all of eternity in bliss.”

“And my choice,” Regina asked. “What is that?”

“You can choose not to enter heaven now, but return to mortal life.”

Regina thought of Robin, Henry, Roland, Snow and Charming. Yes, she wanted to go back. She wasn’t ready to leave.

“Do not make the choice without careful consideration, Regina. If you choose heaven now, the doors are open to you. If you choose to return to mortal life, you must earn your redemption every day. We will no longer whisper in the ears of others. You will struggle every day. If you choose heaven now, your long struggle will be over.”

Regina had not thought of that. To be without the trials and tribulations of life, to not risk what she had gained, attracted her greatly. And she was sure that it was true that if she went back to mortal life that there would be many challenges to staying ‘not evil.’ But she wouldn’t face those challenges alone. Her family and friends would be there for her. 

“I’m sure. I want to go back,” she said. 

The faces nodded. “We thought you would. You will need this back.” The figure that looked like her father walked toward her, something cradled in his hands. As he reached her, Regina saw that it was a heart, shining a bright red.

“Is that the half of heart that I returned to Robin?” she asked. The angel that looked like her father shook his head.

“No, Regina, it is your own heart. When the Price of Magic took it several months ago, it was not destroyed. It came into our keeping,” the voice said.

Regina looked down at it and shook her head. “That’s not my heart. Mine has black flecks. Rather large ones. This one is pure.”

“It is yours, Regina. The Lord has cleansed it and when you return to mortal life, it will be with a heart as free of darkness as a newborn child.” The figure of her father placed the heart against her chest and gave a gentle push — it sank painlessly into her body. “Try to keep it that way this time.” There was a smile in the voice.

“It’s time to go, Regina. You won’t remember us or this. But we will be here waiting for your return to us one day.”

The world went dark around Regina and she felt her self sinking into unconsciousness.

___________________

Snow and Charming ran to the carriage; Charming helping Snow up on the side opposite Robin.

“Oh, no, Regina,” Snow breathed softly. She knelt beside Regina’s folded hands, not wanting to disturb Robin where he stood in his grief, head bowed close to Regina’s. She felt numb. She had had so many feelings about Regina through her life — love, hate, mistrust, faith — so much emotion, and now she felt nothing at all. Snow knew that wouldn’t last. That the pain and regret would start rushing in, but for now there was a certain detached calm in the numbness that was almost comforting. Snow closed her eyes a moment and sent up a silent wish (Regina would call it a prayer) that Regina had felt no pain in death and that she was at rest. 

A choking sob behind her made her open her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder at Charming. Tears were streaming down his face. Snow turned on her knees and and wrapped her arms around him. He was standing on the ground, but he was so tall, that she was eye to eye with him. Charming hugged her close, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He sent a prayer up of his own, begging for this not to be real. He opened his eyes, hoping to see his prayer answered, but Regina still lay there, prone and unmoving. Except… it seemed her folded hands rose and fell ever so slightly.

“Snow!” he whispered urgently in his wife’s ear. “Don’t get your hopes up — or Robin’s — but I think I just saw Regina breath slightly.”

Snow looked up into Charming’s eyes, but he didn’t pull his eyes away from watching Regina.

“There! I just saw it again!” Snow whipped around, keeping her eyes trained on Regina. There it was again — a very slight rise and fall of her clasped hands.

Snow stood quickly and leaned toward Robin, one hand gently touching his shoulder. “Robin, Charming and I think that Regina might be breathing.”

Robin stared at her, not understanding her words, confused by his grief. “What?” he asked in a chocked voice.

“Here,” she said, “let’s try this.” She reached for the buckle that held her outer robes closed and quickly unfastened it. She polished it carefully against her sleeve and then tentative held it in front of Regina’s nose and mouth. Robin suddenly realized what she was doing and shift his stance so that he could watch the surface of the buckle. Silently, the buckle’s surface clouded slightly.

“She’s alive!” Robin shouted. There was an audible gasp from the crowd. “Snow, what do we do?” Robin asked.

Snow turned to Charming. “Charming, what do we do?” Charming looked back at his wife stunned. 

“How should I know?” he asked.

“You’re the town sheriff or deputy or something. Doesn’t that mean you know first aid?” she batted back at him.

“I was in a coma for the curse — I didn’t get any special skills! You were a school teacher, didn’t that come with some first aid training?” he asked logically.

“Oh! Yes, a little,” Snow admitted, but was hard pressed to think of something useful.

“Idiots,” the words whispered over to the royal pair. They both looked sharply at Robin.

“That wasn’t me but I understand the sentiment,” he said with a huge grin.

Regina kept her eyes closed but spoke again. “Why don’t you take the pillow from under my head and put my feet on it. And water. To drink, not on my feet.”

“I think they knew that part, my love,” Robin said, taking the pillow from under her head and passing it to Snow to elevate Regina’s feet. Charming passed up a flask of water. Robin drizzled a little on her lips.

He pressed his lips against his forehead. “This is twice now that I have seen you lying dead. Never do that to me again, you understand, wife?”

Regina smiled. “Well, husband, I can make no promises, but I will try to hard to ensure that if it does happen again, we’ll both be very old and wrinkled.”

“And surrounded by our children and their children,” he added.

“And their children,” she said softly, smiling.

Robin bent and kissed her gently on the lips. “And their children,” he agreed.

“Is everyone safe?” Regina asked. Robin nodded.

“Yes, thanks to you. You saved everyone. Except King George. He appears to have perished,” King Richard answered her question from where he stood at the edge of the carriage. “I am glad you came back to us, dear lady.”

“Nothing could keep me away,” she said smiling. “Someone has to look after these two.” She gestured toward Snow and Charming.

“Your every insult is music to my ears, Step-Mother-in-Law,” Charming said, grinning broadly. 

Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes, but the movement brought a flash of pain to her head that made her wince.

Snow grabbed her hand. “Regina, you’ll be all right. By some miracle, you’re shook up, but you’ll be all right. Do you remember what happened?”

“I’m not sure,” Regina said. “I remember talking to George, but he was completely insane. I remember feeling full of peace and love. I knew somehow that God would save everyone, but that he needed an instrument.” She paused a moment. “So, I just let him use me. I don’t think I really did anything at all.”

King Richard shook his head. “You went into harm’s way, Regina, of your own free will and opened your heart to being His instrument. I would say you did quite a lot.” 

Regina smiled slightly, but did not dispute him. She was beginning to feel much better, though. She moved to sit up. Robin tried to push her back down, but waved him off. Once sitting, she could see that they were surrounded by people. All kinds of people. King Richard’s and Corona’s men, King George’s remaining forces as well as Prince John’s. There was a troupe of 12 men dressed as a royal guard. Regina recognized some as men who had been inside King George’s stronghold. 

Next she noticed the flowers and gifted heraldry that bedecked the carriage and its horses. It dawned on her suddenly that this was all for her — that they had thought she had died and done all this for her. She looked down at the assembled guard.

“You — you men of King George — you did all this? For me?” she asked. The most senior came forward.

“Yes, your highness,” he said, kneeling before her.

“Thank you. You do me great honor. May I know your names?”

“I am Thomas, your highness,” he answered. He looked to the man at his side to continue. “If it please, your majesty, I am Simon.”  
“Peter, your highness.” “Your majesty, I am Matthew.” “I am James, your humble servant, your highness.”

Regina glanced at King Richard. These were the names of the apostles. Was he hearing this, too? A slight nod of the King’s head indicated that he, too, had sensed this amazing turn in a day of miracles.

The names continued, “Phillip, your highness.” “Bartholomew, your majesty.” Regina took a deep breath. This was beyond coincidence. “If it please your majesty, I am John.” “Your highness, I am known as Herbert.” 

What? Regina glanced down at King Richard. She didn’t remember an apostle named Herbert. His shoulders were shaking with mirth. As the names, none of them coincidental to that of a disciple, continued, the King whispered to Regina, “Our Lord has a sense of humor.”

She smiled back. As the last name — a young man named Gispert — rang out. Regina stood, shakily, at first, but then steady and strong.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” she said. “A few hours ago, you were enemies of this entire realm, fighting for a man who killed for his own greed and profit. The Lord, our God, in His graciousness and mercy has spared your life and has given you a second chance, just as He gave me a second chance. He gives us the chance, but we are the ones who must accept His gift with an open heart and let it lead us from the darkness and into the light. We must every day earn this chance we’ve been given.” She stopped, unsure how to continue. King Richard, however, knew exactly what to say.

“She speaks the truth to you,” he said in a booming voice. “You know her now as the instrument of your salvation, but once, long ago, she was known as Regina, the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest.” The eyes widened of the assemblage who had not known the identity of their rescuer. “She is not that woman any more. May she now and forever be known as Good Queen Regina, Protector of the Enchanted Forest, Defender of Storybrooke, and Savior of Nottinghamshire.”

The King bent to one knee, as did all the assemblage, including Robin and Charming. Snow knelt on the bier behind Regina so that she could settle King George’s crown onto Regina’s head.

A tear formed in the corner of Regina’s eye. “Snow,” she said under her breath. “You are the rightful Queen. What are you doing?”

“How can I be Queen when my mother is alive? I’d rather be your Princess than be a Queen without you any day.”

Several more tears threatened to follow the first one, but Regina was well trained in how to act regally in public. She whispered a soft “I love you… but don’t tell anyone.”

She looked out to the kneeling crowd. “Please, rise!”

“I am humbled by the affection and honor you show me. I shall strive every day to be worthy of it,” she said, inclining her head slowly and then raising it again.

Thomas, the soldier who had spoken earlier, approached her again.

“If it please, Your Majesty, I and my fellow soldiers would like to pledge ourselves to your service,” he said. 

She nodded her agreement. “You may serve me by serving God. Go forth across this realm and spread His love through your words and deeds. If this you are willing to pledge, then draw near to the carriage.”

Without hesitation, all 12 gathered in front of her. With a helping hand from Sir Guy, she descended from the carriage. Once on solid ground, she gestured to Sir Guy to pass her his sword. He quietly unsheathed it and passed it to her, making sure she could hold its great weight on her own before letting go.

“Kneel!” She commanded the men. “Do you swear to do no evil, to protect the poor and the innocent, and to defend the Faith?” 

“We do, Good Queen Regina!” One by one, she touched the sword to their right and left shoulders, conferring knighthood on each. “Now go out among the people. Show the light of His love to all you meet.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” They stood as one, striding off to their horses, swiftly mounting, then riding away.

As they rode off, Sir Guy leaned over and took the sword from Regina’s hands. “Let me take that. I’m sure you’ll want to rush off to Storybrooke and see Emma right away.”

Regina frowned. “Emma? Henry and Roland, yes, but why Emma in particular?”

“Well, I’m sure you can’t wait to tell her that she doesn’t have sole right to the title ‘savior’ anymore.”

“That seems awfully petty,” Regina replied.

Robin, who had assumed his rightful place by her side, tucked her left hand into his right elbow. “Well, you are ‘Good’ Queen Regina, not ‘Perfect’ Queen Regina. I think you’re allowed a flaw or two.”

Regina squeezed her fingers around his arm and linked her other arm through Sir Guy’s. King George was utterly wrong about the only way to keep a happy ending was to make it actually an ending. It was to live your happiness every moment. Through good and bad. Make every moment shine. There would be more challenges. More bad guys. But Good Queen Regina and her now very large family would, God willing, defeat them all.


End file.
